


Anything...

by Spacebattles Stories (DragoLord19D)



Series: Anything, Everything, and Forever [1]
Category: Kim Possible (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F, KiGo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-14
Updated: 2013-01-14
Packaged: 2017-11-25 12:51:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 23,946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/639098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DragoLord19D/pseuds/Spacebattles%20Stories
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's after the Li'l Diablo incident, and things aren't quite working out between Kim and Ron anymore. Shego's depressed, and Drakken is plotting to take over the world again. But Kim finds out a devastating secret, and suddenly things aren't the same anymore.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**It All Began With Li'l Diablo**

 

_Their battle this time wasn't like the battles in the past. Those times, Kim had been trying to stop Drakken and Shego from getting away. Stopping the blue-colored evil scientist would have been easier than jumping out of an airplane at thirty-five thousand feet in a HALO (_ _ **h**_ _igh-_ _ **a**_ _ltitude,_ _ **l**_ _ow-_ _ **o**_ _pening) jump if it wasn't for Shego. She pushed Kim to the limit of her abilities and beyond. And though the green-tinted woman would never admit it, the high school cheerleader did the same for her. Throughout Shego's life - from her ill-fated career as a member of Team Go to her current occupation as a thief and villainous sidekick - not one person even approached her level, much less could be considered her equal. That is, until she met the red-headed girl who would become_ her _arch enemy._

_What made this battle, which was being fought atop the roof of Bueno Nacho's corporate headquarters (Drakken's lair in his current bid to take over Middleton - and the world), different than the others was that Kim wasn't fighting to win anymore; she was fighting to kick Shego's green-tinted ass. Kim was beyond pissed at the level of trickery that had been used against her. Oh, she wasn't mad about not being able to figure out Drakken's scheme in time to stop it from happening. What had her enraged was Erik; he'd been a syntho-drone from the very beginning, whose only purpose was to keep her distracted - and shatter her heart. Shego had obviously known that the supposed teen boy was really a syntho-drone from the very beginning. Kim was out to hurt the villainess as much as she had been hurt._

_So when she'd kicked Shego into the electrical tower on the building's roof, she felt a dark smile of satisfaction twist her features. It was a side of her she hadn't known she'd had, and it simultaneously made her feel sick and exultant. She'd finally, and decisively, beaten Shego. She and Ron had confessed their feelings for each other before Rufus had freed them. Rufus had destroyed Erik and caused the special electromagnetic dart to destroy the control signal for the Li'l Diablo robots. Then she heard Ron force Drakken to finally say his name. And, of course, the two villains and their henchmen ended up going to jail - again - though Kim knew that Shego would eventually escape and take Drakken with her._

_And once back at the prom, she and Ron had shared their first kiss. But, deep down, Kim sensed that something was missing between them. The dates that followed seemed to go okay, and in fact she and Ron had seemed to grow closer together. Or so she'd first thought. What Kim hadn't told anyone - except her journal - was that she was haunted by what had happened on that rooftop. That dark satisfaction she'd gotten from knocking Shego into that tower, the dark hope that she'd caused the older woman pain. The sorrow and_ guilt _that she'd caused her pain. Kim had respected Shego and, she had to admit, she still did; in spite of the whole Bueno Nacho/Li'l Diablo thing. 'In fact,' she'd written in her journal two months after it had happened, 'I think that's where it all began. It wasn't until I confronted Shego on that roof that I realized just how betrayed I'd felt. And it wasn't until now that I realized I actually_ felt _betrayed.' She knew that Shego was a villain, that such actions were part of being a villain, but she thought Shego had been different, more . . . honorable. 'Lately, things between me and Ron have become a little strained. Not tense-strained, but as though both of us expected things to become . . . I don't know, different. Instead, things seem to be like they've always been, except with some hand-holding and kissing thrown in. Kissing Ron just . . . just doesn't seem like I thought it would be.'_

_Shego had, indeed, broken herself and Drakken out of prison about a week after the Li'l Diablo incident. But the strange thing was that while Wade was relaying information about Drakken preparing a new scheme, not much was mentioned about Shego. For reasons she couldn't explain, Kim found herself worrying about the green-tinted villainess, wondering if she was okay._

_ Middleton _

_'Ron wants to talk to me about something today,'_  Kim wrote in her journal. It was a Saturday afternoon, and the sunlight was streaming in through her bedroom window.  _'He called me on the kimmunicator and asked me to meet him at Bueno Nacho. Even after Drakken's scheme, he still likes the place. Can't really blame him; it's one of the best fast-food places in Middleton. But he sounded a little . . . different, this time. Like something's bothering him. Something has to be, because Ron isn't too good at lying.'_  Closing her journal, she looked at the clock next to her bed and saw that she had just enough time to get to Bueno Nacho to meet with Ron. She had a feeling she knew what he wanted to talk about, and she felt like the bottom of her stomach was falling (the same kind of feeling you get on a roller coaster right after it drops down).

_ Drakken's Current Lair _

Drakken was in the main cavern of his current 'villainous' lair, cackling over his latest world domination plan. He looked around for Shego so he could gloat about his genius - he always preferred an audience whenever possible - but didn't see her anywhere.

"Shego!" he yelled, looking at the various entrances to the cavern. "Shego, where are you? I need to tell you about my latest scheme to get rid of Kim Possible and force the world to make me its leader! Shego!"

Shego, meanwhile, was sitting in her room in the lair. She had the lights off, the door triple-locked, and had plasma-blasted the intercom panel the moment she heard Drakken's voice coming through. She wasn't in the mood to deal with him; giving her current state of mind, she'd probably fry his ass with a sustained burst of green plasma - literally, this time. Ever since the showdown with Kim Possible on the roof of the Bueno Nacho headquarters, Shego had found herself in a funk. Part of it, she would tell herself, had to do with being beaten so decisively by the teenaged girl. Being knocked into that electrical tower had been painful as hell, she'd admit; she tried to tell herself she would have done the same to young cheerleader if she'd had the chance. But for some reason, whenever she thought that, it always rang false. She knew why it felt wrong to think that, but she refused to acknowledge that other reason. Just as she refused to acknowledge the truth behind the depression she was in.

"I'm supposed to be a villain, damnit," she growled to herself. "What I did to Possible during the global Li'l Diablo attack is I was supposed to do. She's the goody two-shoes, and I'm the sneaky, underhanded villain." A sigh escaped her and she let her head drop to her knees. "So why do I feel like a piece of shit every time I think about it?" In the split-second of consciousness she'd had before the electrical surge coursing through her body from the tower knocked her out, she had caught sight of the look on Kim's face, and had been shocked by it. Even recalling it now shocked her; it was an expression she wore whenever she kicked the girl's ass. Kim had always given as good as she'd gotten, Shego had to admit, which had been a surprise in the early days of their fights. The red-headed girl obviously had some martial arts skills, but it was her cheerleading moves that would through the green-tinted woman off. Shego had studied quite a few martial arts styles, starting back in her still despised Team Go days up to now, and had been a martial artist of unmatched skill; especially when she used her plasma powers. But Kim? Kim had no  _formal_  martial arts training, no special powers, and she  _still_  managed to keep up with Shego. The memory of first realizing she'd found someone who was her equal brought a short-lived smile to the villainess's face. A smile that vanished as the memory of their last fight intruded upon it.

_What the hell did I do?_  she asked herself.

"So, what's up, Ron?" Kim asked as she watched her boyfriend settle into his side of their 'usual' table, his tray piled high with an unbelievable amount of food. She knew he shared some with Rufus - she was frequently surprised the highly greasy food hadn't killed the naked molerat already - but it was still a shocking amount for one person to eat. As for her, she made do with a salad and tea.

"Kim, I . . . um, well I . . . I don't know how to, um, well, say this," he replied, stammering and not quite meeting her eyes.

"Is it about . . . us?" she asked, hesitating only slightly. The slump to her boyfriend's shoulders gave her the answer.

"It's, well-" he tried to say, but she held up a hand to stop him.

"Let me," she said, a sad smile on her face. "You expected things to be different when we started going out, and nothing has changed between us; not even your feelings about me. You don't want to force or push anything because you don't want to ruin our friendship, but nothing's like you expected it to be."

"Um, yeah, yeah. Right, KP," he told her. "I-I'm sorry, you know."

"There's nothing to be sorry about, Ron," she replied. "I thought things would be different between us, more romantic. It's not your fault," she rushed to say before he could start blaming himself, "and it isn't mine. I've been thinking the same things you have, that's all. I . . . I kept waiting for that spark, that 'he's the one' spark that I never felt with the other guys I crushed on or went out with."

"I was wanting that, too."

"I guess it just isn't there."

"We can always be friends, Kim. That doesn't have to change, does it?" Kim smiled.

"Ron, you've been my friend since pre-K," she told him, laying a hand on one of his. "Nothing's ever going to change that between us. Just because a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship didn't work out between us doesn't mean our friendship didn't work out, either."

"I was afraid you'd be mad about breaking up."

"You're being honest with me. Sure, it does hurt a little that things couldn't work out romantically between us, but at least we're being truthful." She held out her hand. "Friends?"

"Friends," he replied, shaking her hand and smiling. As they returned to their food, both saddened and relieved, Kim couldn't help but think of Shego and wonder how she was doing. And then she wondered why she was thinking about her rival in the first place.

Shego finally relented to the incessant pounding on her door and opened it.

_"What is it, Doctor D?"_  she growled at him, forcing him to take several steps back until he backed into the wall across from her door.

"Well, Shego," he said, trying to assume an authoritative air and failing, "I wanted to explain my latest plan to stop Kim Possible and take over the world. I expect you to be there when I'm ranting."

"Whatever, Doctor D," she said in a flat voice. She really wasn't in the mood to listen to his rather annoying voice - and the rambling that he was prone to do - but he did pay her (not that she needed it anymore, what with the investments she'd been doing for the past three years). "Just tell me what I need to steal for you."

"Shego, are you okay?" he asked, finally picking up on her mood - which had been going on ever since they'd broken out of prison.

"Just fine," she replied, brushing past him. Curious now but unwilling to risk a plasma enema, he hurried to get ahead of her as he began explaining just what he wanted her to get for him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Nothing's The Same**

_ Middleton _

In spite of the calm they accepted the mutual break-up with, both Kim and Ron felt things were a little awkward right now and didn't hang around together after finishing their food. Saying a slightly strained good-bye, the two part ways; neither is sure of where they're heading but both know that they need some time to think about things - even though they kind of already did. Each was surprised that the other had also been thinking about breaking up, which made them wonder if there was someone else involved (neither of them really believed that, though the thought did cross their minds). Naturally, both wondered if they had done something wrong and hadn't realized it, but nothing came to mind. That sense of closeness they'd had during and shortly after Drakken's Li'l Diablo scheme had faded away, leaving the friendship that had always been there. Normally, Ron would go and see Kim if he was having problems or issues, and she would help him understand; but this time, he couldn't, since she (and himself) was the issue he was having.

"I don't know, Rufus," he said. "Did I do something that drove Kim away?"

"Nuh-uh," the naked molerat replied.

"Okay, okay, so we didn't drive each other," Ron added. "So why didn't things stay like they were after you freed us at Bueno Nacho's headquarters?"

Rufus chittered in that unique language he had that only Ron could really understand.

"No, I'm sure there isn't anyone else," he replied. "Kim would have said so if there was. You think we weren't meant to be anything more than friends?"

Rufus just shrugged and titled his head to one side.

"At least we'll still be friends, though it'll be a little awkweird for a few days."

Kim had called Monique on her kimmunicator and asked her to meet her at the mall (it was the other girl's day off from her Club Banana job). Kim was in the food court staring at a strawberry shake.

"You know it won't drink itself," Monique said as she sat in a cheer at the same table, startling her friend. "So spill, girl. What's got you mopin' at that shake?"

"Ron and I broke up today," Kim replied.

"Whoa there, girl! STB!"

"Well, I was already planning on breaking up with him, then earlier he called me to say he wanted to talk to me," she explained. "And it turns out he wanted to talk to me about breaking up, too."

"Get out!" the chocolate-skinned girl replied, slapping her hands on the table. "Is it another girl?"

"Who? Ron? No, he wouldn't do that. He couldn't keep something like that a secret, anyway."

"You got a point. So, that all that happened?"

"Yeah, pretty much." Kim sighed. "Things seemed like they were going well at first. But then, well, I noticed that nothing at had really changed. Except for the PDAs, we were still doing the same things that we did when we weren't dating."

"So you got boya, right?"

"I wouldn't say it like that, exactly. I was hoping for, well, that romantic spark that I see whenever I watch my parent's interact. It just wasn't there with Ron."

"Girl, I gotta tell you somethin'," Monique said. "You might not like it, though, jsyk?"

"Go ahead, Mon," Kim replied.

"Ron's safe for you. You've known him since pre-K, and he's had your back the entire time. He may be clumsy sometimes, but he's dependable. That's  _not_  what you need, girl."

"Shouldn't I have someone dependable? That I can count on?"

"Kim, listen to me. Dependable is good, but you? You need something  _more_. You need someone who can not only keep up with you, but  _compete_  with you,  _challenge_  you. And that ain't Ron."

"He's got the Mystical Monkey Power," Kim replied, though they both could tell that the riposte was weak.

"And it comes and goes," Monique countered. "Besides, you know several martial arts styles - even if you haven't mastered any of them -  _and_  there's your cheerleading skills. I know we had a conversation kinda like this back when you were complaining about having no one to go to prom with."

"Weren't you the one pushing me about Ron then, too?"

"I wasn't exactly pushing you, but I get your point. Now get mine: just because your romance with Ron didn't work out doesn't mean something won't happen later on. You may even meet someone new. Besides, did he actually  _ask_  you out?"

"Well, no, not exactly," Kim admitted. "But we did go on dates, kissed, held hands, and stuff like that."

"But he didn't ask you out, girl. So, like you say, it's no big that you're breaking up. Can't really break up if you're not really together."

"Thanks, Mon," the teen hero said. "I do feel a little better."

"We're bffs, Kim," she replied. "It's what we do. You and Ron will always be friends, no matter what."

_ Middleton Advanced Research Center, later that night _

"Hurry up, Shego! Before anyone comes!"

"You know, Doctor D, if you hadn't insisted upon coming along I would've already been gone," Shego retorted.

"But you don't know what I'm looking for!" Drakken insisted.

"You're looking for the same doo-hickey you used to make your last teleportation ray. Which, if I remember, teleported itself to who knows where."

"That was the fault of the buffoon," the blue scientist replied, the name of Kim Possible's sidekick escaping him again. "It wasn't my fault!"

"Uh-huh, sure," Shego said, finally finding the toolbox-sized device her boss needed (no thanks to his insistence upon directing the search). "You do realize that they'll be here in about five seconds, right?"

"Who will?" was the predictable reply. Right before the window behind him shattered as Kim and Ron broke through it. Whirling around, Drakken saw the duo and exclaimed, "Kim Possible! What are you doing here?" Behind Drakken, Shego smacked her forehead.

"Come on, even  _I'm_  not  _clueless_ ," Ron said. Then he looked at Kim. "Right?" Kim, though, put her hands on her hips and stared at the evil scientist.

"Again, Drakken? Didn't already make some kind of teleportation ray?" she asked.

"Is that the doo-hickey that disappeared when he used it?" Ron wondered.

"It wasn't my fault!" Drakken insisted, frowning at Shego's snicker. "Shego! Stop them!"

"Whatever you say, Doctor D," she replied, igniting her hands and leaping at the teen heroes. Ron yelled and scrambled out of the way, tripping over a cord on the floor and plowing into Drakken while Kim sprang at Shego and blocked the on-coming fist before letting loose with a kick aimed at the green-tinted woman's side. Dodging the kick, Shego spun around in a kick of her own, aiming at her rival's head. Kim dropped to the floor, avoiding the kick, and swept Shego's legs out from under her. That was her intention, at least, as Shego leaped over the kick and came down with a fist that smashed in to the floor as Kim rolled out of the way. Springing to her feet, the teen hero threw a fast series of punches at her opponent, which were blocked.

"What, no snarky comments, Shego?" Kim asked.

"You miss that, Cupcake?" Shego replied, but the taunt lacked her usual bite, something Kim noticed right away. She couldn't spare any time to consider it, though, as Shego threw a combo of punches and kicks her way, forcing her to dodge and counter. This time, having noticed Shego's tone, Kim also noticed that her fighting wasn't like it had been in the past, before Bueno Nacho and Erik. Something was off about Shego, but Kim couldn't figure out what. Kim fired a kick at Shego, forcing the older woman to dodge - right into Kim's second kick, which caught her in the ribs. Neither one of them expected that, and so both of them froze for a second.

"Shego! We're leaving!" Drakken said before the two could resume their fight.

"Gotta go, princess," Shego said. And, again, the taunt lacked her usual attitude. She took off after Drakken before Kim could react - leaving the device the scientist had been after behind. Kim just stood there, more than a little stunned, as Ron came up beside her.

"What was that all about?" the blond-haired boy asked. Kim shook her head, very confused by the whole thing - and her right hand twitching slightly, unnoticed by either her or Ron.

_ Possible House _

Kim made it home that night at a rather decent hour - in comparison to other mission nights. Only her mom was up this late, though, since she didn't have to go in to the hospital until late in the morning.

"Everything okay, Kim?" Ann Possible asked as her daughter sat down at the kitchen table.

"Well, we stopped Drakken from stealing something he needed to make another teleportation ray," she replied.

"I hear a 'but' in there," her mom said.

"Something seemed different about Shego tonight, Mom," she told her. "She didn't seem like she was all that interested in fighting. At least, not like before."

"You mean before that whole robot thing?"

"Yeah, exactly."

"Well, you told me that you kicked her into an electrical tower."

"And I feel terrible about it now - especially because I got a feeling of satisfaction out of it when it happened."

"All I'm saying, Kim, is that something like that will affect a person. You can't expect things to go back to the way they were so fast. And I know it's been two months since it happened, but that really isn't a long time."

"Maybe you're right," Kim agreed. "But . . . I don't know if I want things to go back to the way they were before."

"You'll just have to wait and see how things turn out, dear. Now, what's going on with you and Ron?"

"Well, we sort of broke up," she answered. "I mean, I know we weren't really going out so it wasn't really a break up, but still . . ."

"I know it isn't easy, dear," Ann said, placing a hand on her daughter's shoulder, "but you and Ron have been friends for quite a few years now. Just because a more intimate relationship didn't work out between you two doesn't mean your friendship is going to end."

"I know, Mom," Kim replied, smiling. "Right now, though, we're probably not going to be hanging out much so we can work through our feelings on it."

_ Drakken's Lair _

Shego sat back in one of the chairs in the control room of the lair, feet propped up on a console and a nail file in her hands as filed her gloves while listening to Drakken rant about the device they'd left behind, and how Kim Possible always interfered with his plans.  _What he doesn't realize is that his plans self-destruct on their own_ , she thought to herself.  _He almost doesn't_ need _to build a self-destruct into his rays - or lairs._  Shego didn't realize that the depression she was in would affect her fighting skills so much. Not that the cheerleader had never landed a blow on her before, but Shego had  _never_  been so sloppy as to dodge one attack and get hit with another like that. And seeing Kim again had reminded her of the guilt she felt about the manipulation of the girl - even though it was all Drakken's idea from start to finish. Listening to Drakken's rant come to a close, she knew that she would undoubtedly be sent to steal that thing again.

_I just hope he stays behind this time_ , she thought.

Translations for Monique's acronyms: STB = spill the beans. PDA = public displays of affection. BOYA (boya) = bored off your ass. JSYK (jsyk) = just so you know. BFF = best friends forever (duh).


	3. Chapter 3

**Shattered Dreams**

_ Drakken's Lair, the next day _

Doctor Drakken was sitting in the main chamber of his lair, munching on a peanut-and-caramel-filled candy bar while looking at the to-do list he'd made in prison before Shego had busted the two of them out. The first thing on the list was, indeed, to build a teleportation ray.

"Now that I think about it, I'm not really sure how a teleportation ray would help me take over the world," he said out loud. "I suppose I could use it to send anyone who attacks me somewhere else, but that doesn't seem like a threat a supervillian would make." He set the candy bar on a napkin nearby, grabbed a pen, and crossed 'build teleportation ray for world conquest' off the list. Then he looked at his second idea: 'build a new pan-dimensional vortex inducer.' And promptly crossed that out. "No, that idea didn't work out too well the last time," he muttered, studying his list again. 'Build a mutation ray' was the third idea he'd had, and he crossed it out, too; after all, genetic mutations were DNAmy's obsession. He thought the woman was brilliant - though not as brilliant as himself - but she was too obsessed with making her real-life Cuddle Buddies as well as Montey Fisk. "I wonder if I should try something like my last idea - it was nearly successful, after all," he wondered. Then he shook his head. "No, no, no. I hated sitting in that office with nothing to do. Besides, I'm a scientific genius, not a businessman." His fourth idea was to hack into all the various commercial television satellites and force everyone in the world to watch 'Drakken-approved' programming. He thought the idea had merit, until he wondered just how that would help him take over the world. With a frustrated snarl, he crossed that idea off the list.

Shego had once again locked herself in her darkened room. Sitting on her bed, with her knees drawn up to her chin, she thought about her fight against Kim Possible. The teen hero was a good fighter, she wasn't about to deny that, but last night hadn't been what she had expected. Shego's form was good, was as perfect as she could make it with the training she put herself through, but she'd had trouble landing an attack on the red-headed girl.  _As much as I wanted to fight her again, my heart just wasn't in it_ , she realized.  _Is it because of that look on her face after she'd been shocked unconscious by the Erik snytho-drone? I know I laughed then, but still. Or was it when we fought on the roof after she and the sidekick had escaped? I'd never seen her fight like that before; so angry, reckless, and aggresive. That's more like me than her. And that satisfied look she had after she'd kicked me into that tower, that I saw before the electrical surge knocked me out?_  She felt her stomach sink and a fist close around her heart, though she was hard-pressed to say why it felt like someone was trying to squeeze the life out of her heart.  _Why am I feeling guilty about tricking Possible like that?_  she asked herself.  _I'm a villain, and that's something expected from a villain. But . . . I still feel guilty about it. I know respect her because she can hold her own against me, and not many people can. With Kim, I could go all out - or pretty close to it - and not worry about killing her._  Shego squeezed her arms around her knees. She'd never felt like this before; not even when she'd walked out on her brothers after quitting Team Go. Of course, the only ones she had actually liked were the Wegos; Mego had been too self-centered (and still was), and Hego had been a pompous windbag with super strength (and still was). Her brothers were family, and Kim Possible was her rival; so why did she feel so depressed about what had occurred two months ago between her and Kim, when she had only felt a flicker of relief when she'd quit Team Go?

_ Middleton, the next day _

School was over for the day, and Kim had never been more glad. Usually she liked school, in spite of Bonnie's constant sniping. Today had been different, though. The classes were okay, and there wasn't no cheer practice scheduled for today; but Kim had noticed something off about herself. Her right leg from the knee down had felt somewhat numb, but she didn't know why. She'd also felt a slight tingle in her left hand, but by the time school ended both sensations had disappeared. So, shrugging it off, she headed to Bueno Nacho to do some of her homework before heading home.

When she got there, she was surprised to see Ron already there. He saw her, too, and smiled.

"Hey, KP," he called out. "Saved you a seat."

"Thanks, Ron," she said, walking over to the booth and sliding into it. She set her backpack on the bench next to her and found that her best friend had already gotten her a salad. "Really, thanks."

"Hey, no problem, KP," he replied. "I know you're not much into the glory that is the naco, but you do like the salad here."

"I really appreciate it."

"It's what friends do."

"So, are you actually going to study now or just wing it and have Rufus help you?"

"Hey, I do pretty good on my own!"

"And how much does Rufus help you study?"

"A lot," Ron replied sheepishly.

"There's nothing wrong with that, Ron. You study how you can."

"Sometimes I wish I could get things like you do, KP."

"Don't sweat it, Ron. You'll do fine. You got this far doing your own thing; why change now?" Before he could answer, Kim's kimmunicator went off.

"Hey, Wade," she said, after pulling it out. "What's the sitch?"

_"It's Drakken and Shego again,"_  the computer genius replied.  _"This time, it looks like they're after the neural network core processor that's at the Middleton Advanced Research Center."_

"We were there two days ago stopping him from getting something for another teleportation Ray," Kim said, "and now he's back there again?"

_"Looks like it, Kim."_

"What's a neural network core processor?" the teen hero asked as she and Ron put their school stuff back in their packs.

_"From what I can find out, it's an experimental processor chip that they're testing to in relation to the latest medical research into nervous system damage."_

"What does that mean?" Ron asked.

"Basically it means that this chip could be the key to helping anyone who has been paralyzed to move again, Ron," Kim told him.

"So why is Drakken after it?"

_"Because it can also be used to form the central processor for a linked computer network,"_  Wade replied.

"You mean like the Bebes?" she asked.

_"That could be his goal, though we know how_ that _turned out."_

"You got us a ride?"

_"You have just enough time to get home and get ready."_

"Thanks, Wade. You rock."

_ Middleton Advanced Research Center (Again) _

"Tell me again  _why_  we're back here?" Shego asked, leaning against a wall in a room filled with supercomputer towers and robotic arms.

" _Because_ , Shego, the neural network processor chip is just what I need to make a control block for robotic henchmen," Drakken explained in exasperation.

"Didn't you try that already? With  _spectacular_  results?"

"I was trying to make the Bebes  _perfect_ , Shego. This time, I'm only going to make hench . . . bots."

"It's going to backfire on you. Again."

"Ha-ha! Not  _this_  time! This time, I'm going to make them obedient only to me! I won't give them higher-level thought functions, and will program them only with the information they need to have to be good henchbots!"

"And  _how_  will this help you take over the world?"

"In addition to programming in a self-destruct mechanism that will erase the henchbots' hard drives, I will also-"

"Get caught stealing something again?" Kim said as she walked through the door into the lab.

"Kim Possible!"

"Wow, Doctor D, you've mastered the obvious," Shego said with heavy sarcasm.

"And why are you just standing there? Get rid of her! I'm still looking for the chip!"

"Whatever you say," the villainess replied, igniting her fists and leaping at the heroine. Kim dropped to her back, reaching up to grab Shego's arms as she planted her foot in the woman's stomach and catapulted her into the hall - right as Ron fell out of the ventilation shaft and landed on the plasma-powered woman.

"Sorry," he apologized, then realized who it was he'd landed on. "Shego!"

"Get off of me, you idiot!" she growled, knocking Ron to the side as he scrambled to get away. Flipping to her feet, she fired a burst of plasma at Kim as she leapt at her. Kim backflipped out of the way, jumping at the green-tinted woman as soon as her feet hit the floor again. She blocked a plasma punch to her face, blocked a kick to her ribs with a kick of her own, and whipped around Shego to land an elbow into her side. Shego reversed her grip on Kim's arm to whirl around her and avoided the elbow, slipping a leg between the teen's and dumping her to the floor. Kim pushed off from the floor and slammed her feet into Shego's chest, knocking her backwards into a wall. Spinning around, the red-headed globe-trotting teen felt a strange numbness in her leg, and a tingle in her spine. Shaking it off as just part of the adrenaline rush she got fighting Shego, she leapt back into the fight, trading a rapid series of punches, blocks, and kicks with the older woman.

"C'mon, princess, you can do better than that," Shego taunted, and again Kim noticed that she lacked her customary bite.

"Maybe I would if you gave me a reason to," Kim returned.

"Shego! Let's go!" Drakken shouted. Shego snapped an arm towards him and blasted a hole in the wall right beside him. Kim attempted to dodge around her to get to the blue-skinned evil genius, but she ran right into a kick from Shego. The woman's foot slammed into her gut, knocking the wind out of her and giving the two villains a chance to get away. Ron rushed in to the room but he was too late; they had vanished.

"Sorry, KP," he said, going to help her up.

"It's alright, Ron," she reassured him. "I'll have Wade start looking for whatever else Drakken may need to get."

"But what's he planning?"

"I don't know, but Wade can find out just what that chip can be used for, and what he would need to steal in order to do them."

_ Drakken's Lair _

Drakken was ecstatic about getting the chip, though Shego couldn't see why. Nor did she really care right now. Usually, she would at least be a little interested in helping Drakken's schemes, since it gave her a chance to fight Kim Possible, but not right now.  _Not since that stupid Li'l Diablo thing_ , she realized. Everything always came back to that. She left Drakken in the lair's main chamber and trudged her way to her room, ignoring the henchmen and syntho-drones Drakken had hired and made. Walking in, she shut and triple-locked the door, which had become a habit of late, and peeled out of her catsuit. Considering how form-fitting it was, she always went commando under it. She made her way to the in-room shower - something she always made sure she had, no matter what Drakken chose for his next lair - and climbed in. Turning on the water as hot as she could stand it, which is hotter than most people could stand, she stood there under the spraying water and let it wash over and soak her. Her gaze was aimed at the floor of the shower room, but her eyes weren't seeing it; she was lost in memories of fighting Kim Possible, going over everything.

She didn't know how long she stood there, letting the shower drench her. But as she stepped out of the shower and dried herself off, she realized just what was really wrong with her. It wasn't the depression she had been in; that was just a symptom.  _I've lost my heart to fight_ , she thought, feeling everything just shatter.

_ Possible Residence, Middleton _

Kim had also taken a shower when she got back, but she'd slipped into a pair of pink sweatpants and a baby-blue t-shirt when she dried off. Ever since the fight with Shego at the Middleton Advanced Research Center, she'd been feeling strange and tingly. She was a bit surprised that Drakken and Shego had attempted the theft in daylight, though after thinking about it she realized it was absurd to think they would steal at night. While she was blow-drying her hair, she heard her mom call for her to come downstairs when she was done. From her mom's tone of voice, it wasn't anything serious. Once she finished drying her hair, she ran a comb through it real quick then left her room.

Ann Possible looked up from the book she was reading in the living when she heard her daughter on the steps. She smiled at her as she started down the stairs. The smile became a look of puzzlement, then stunned disbelief, and finally fear as Kim stumbled and started falling down the stairs.


	4. Chapter 4

**Shadowed Lives**

_ Middleton Medical Center _

One of the two medical helicopters operated by the Middleton Medical Center touched down on the north wing helipad, where a gurney, a doctor, and four nurses waited. As soon as the 'copter had touched down, the medical personnel moved. The side door of the helo opened up as the gurney reached it, and the medical personnel in the helicopter transferred their patient to the gurney with assistance from the nurses. A red-haired woman climbed out of the helicopter immediately, and began explaining what had happened to the doctor as everyone hurried into the hospital. Dr. Ann Possible, though extremely worried beyond anything she'd ever felt before, remained as calm as she could under the circumstances - which was a lot calmer than most mothers would have been in her situation. Everyone knew who the patient was, of course: a person would've had to have been living under a rock for the past few years not have heard of Kim Possible. Of course, her fame didn't change anything for the medical team; she was a patient who needed immediate medical attention, so they would give everything they had an more to her care.

During the time it took to get from the helipad to a medical room, it was determined that her life wasn't at stake but that her condition was still serious. She had a cut on her head, which Ann Possible explained had occured when her daughter had fallen down the stairs and struck her head on a corner. An MRI (magnetic resonance imagining) and a CT (computed tomography scan) were scheduled for Kim; she was still unconscious but it was due to medication this time. Ann, of course, had to stay in the small waiting area just off the emergency care section. It wasn't long before her husband, James, and their twin sons Jim and Tim were escorted by a nurse to the waiting room where Ann was. The boys were subdued, which was unusual for them; James sat down next to his wife and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. She let the control she'd kept herself under fade away and the tears fell down her face as she silently cried. Nothing like this had ever happened to Kim during the few years she'd been saving the world, and it hit the Possible family hard. James managed to convince his wife that they should go back home, that Kim was in capable hands right now. All they could do right now was wait, which was the hardest part.

_ Drakken's Lair _

Now that he actually had the neural network central processor chip, Drakken wasn't sure if robotic henchmen were a good idea. His syntho-drones worked pretty well - when Shego wasn't destroying them - and he had regular henchmen for those tasks the syntho-drones weren't suited for.

"I need to come up with a new plan," he said to himself. "One that I can use this chip in. Mind control? No, no, not a good idea. I suppose I can always go back to my 'Drakken TV' plan, but I don't really need this chip for that. No, I need something better - or would that be worse?" He cupped his chin and  _hmm_ ed. "No matter." He looked at the chip thoughfully. "I wonder if I still have that data I took from James Possible's mind? Perhaps I can figure something out using that and this chip."

Shego wasn't in her room this time; instead, she was in the gym working out, trying to ignore her guilt (warranted or not) and depression by working herself to exhaustion. She was clad in a pair of skintight black lycra shorts, black and green tennis shoes, and a green sports bra. Fortunately for the henchmen also in the gym, they studiously avoided even glancing at her, not wanting to set her off; she'd been rather volatile of late, and even Drakken was watching his step more than usual. Right now she was on the weight bench, pressing one and a half times her weight. She kept her mind focused on the repetitions, which wasn't easy as she usually used her workout time to think. Drakken hadn't sent her out again, which just confirmed for her that he had no clue what he was going to do with that chip.

She finished her third set of one hundred reps and set the bar in its rack before sitting back up, drenched in sweat. She wasn't going for muscle mass but endurance right now, so she hadn't increased the weight on the bar. In spite of the workout she'd just put herself through, which had pushed even her level of endurance far, she still found herself dwelling on that whole Bueno Nacho thing. She gave Drakken kudos for a clever plan - she hadn't been able to guess it until he'd pulled it off, and she  _knew_  Kim hadn't been able to guess it, either - but she found herself liking the trick played upon Kim Possible less and less. Drakken had played with the teens emotions like a master conductor with the Trans Siberian Orchestra (she would  _never_ confess to  _anyone_  that she liked them). Grabbing a towel, she wiped her sweat-drenched face and grabbed her water bottle, taking a swig of it as she left the gym for a relaxing shower.

_ Middleton Medical Center, afternoon _

Ron had actually been picked up by the Possibles to go see Kim at the hospital when school let out. Wade had informed him late last night (or early that morning, depending on how one looked at it) about what had happened to Kim. What the computer genius hadn't told him was just what, exactly,  _had_  happened to her. He'd admitted to not knowing, and that he could probably figure out what was going on if he could scan her through the kimmunicator. According to Kim's mom, the doctors had no idea what had caused the young woman's collapse; the tests they'd run had been inconclusive, or given contradictory results. But they did say that she would be able to go home today. Wade had informed everyone that he'd talked to the doctors about running his own, independent tests using the scanners and other tools built into the kimmunicator and they had agreed; they admitted to having no other options, too.

Kim let Wade scan her, then changed and met her family in the waiting room. She got hugs from everyone, including Ron; getting hugs from the tweebs surprised her, but she went with it.

"The doctors are letting you go now?" her mom asked. "What about Wade's scans?"

"Wade says the analysis could took some time, and the doctors couldn't find anything that would have caused me to collapse like that," Kim replied.

"I can't say how worried I was, Kim," her mom said, wiping tears from her eyes.

"We both were extremely worried, Kimmie-cub," her dad agreed. "Did anything happen to you on your last mission?"

"Nothing that would have caused it," she replied. "I just started walking down the stairs, then I just lost all feeling in my arms and legs."

"Well, you seem to be okay for now, so let's get you back home."

_ Possible Residence _

Everyone - including Ron - had just walked through the front door of the Possible house when Kim's kimmunicator went off.

"What's the sitch, Wade?" she asked as everyone gathered around her.

_"Well, I put all of my processing power into analyzing your scans,"_  the young boy replied,  _"which is how it got done by the time you all got home. Kim . . . the news isn't good, I'm afraid."_

"What is it, Wade?" James asked.

_"It has to deal with the battle suit Kim wore during the mission at Bueno Nacho's corporate headquarters. When she got shocked by the Erik syntho-drone, it caused a malfunction in the suit. The electrical discharge itself only caused some minor damage to her nervous system, in addition to knocking her out, that would've gone away on its own."_

"But it didn't, did it?" Kim said with a sinking feeling.

_"I'm afraid not, Kim. The malfunction in the battle suit, which was experimental, expounded on that damage the longer you wore and used it. According to the analyses, and the doctor's corroborations . . . I'm sorry, Kim. Your nervous system is degenerating."_

"You means it's failing?" Ann asked, stunned.

_"I wish I could say otherwise, but . . . that's the truth. Any muscle twitches or spasms you've been having recently were more than likely caused by your . . . condition."_

"What can be done about it?"

_"Nothing. There's a lot of experimental research into mending spinal damage, but I'm afraid I couldn't find anything about repairing or replacing a whole nervous system. And that's the only two ways to cure the damage."_

"So what's going to happen to me?"

_"Eventually, your whole nervous system will fail. It would leave you completely paralyzed, or could affect your brain - which would . . ."_

"I would die if that happened," Kim finished for him.

_"I wish there was better news for you."_

"So do I," she said, turning off her kimmunicator - and meeting the expressions of disbelief and fear around her.

_ Drakken's Lair _

"Yet another failed plan, Doctor D?" Shego asked, sauntering into the main room. She was back in her cat suit, with her usual scorn in place - though she could it was just a facade now.

"Quiet, Shego! I'm trying to think!" Drakken snapped.

"Don't hurt yourself."

"I'm your boss, you should respect me more."

"No, you're my employer. And I respect you as much as you deserve," she replied, dropping into a chair and propping her feet up on a console. "So, figured out what you're going to do yet?"

Drakken grumbled something, to which Shego snickered. She didn't understand what he was saying, but the fact that he didn't have answer amused her - in spite of her ever present gloom.

"Remember, no cloning," she growled, igninting a finger for a second.

"I know, I know," the blue-skinned villain said dismissively. Then he paused. His expression underwent several different 'deep thought' looks before his widened and he smiled. "Ah-ha! That's it!"

"I can book you for a plasma enema in about three seconds, you know," she said, looking unconcerned.

"Not about the cloning thing, though that  _did_  help give me idea."

"And what is it this time? Animating snowmen?"

"No, but that is a good idea. The neural network core processor can be used as the central processing unit for a specialized super computer. With the right components, I can build one."

"A super computer? Seriously?  _That's_  your big idea?"

"I wasn't finished, Shego!" Drakken snapped. "Anyway, I can use the super computer to hack in to Global Justice's computer network and take it over from the inside!"

"Not a bad plan," she conceded. "But why would you want to do that?"

"Never mind that! Let's go, Shego! You've got things to steal!"

"Woo-hoo," she said in a bored voice. "With an extra 'woo' for good measure."

_ Middleton Aerospace Technologies Center _

"Okay,  _why_  did we come here?" Shego said. "Wouldn't you find computer stuff at a  _computer_  place?"

"The Middleton Aerospace Technologies Center is one of the most advanced research facilities in the Tri-City area, Shego."

"I thought that was the Middleton Advanced Research Center."

"The M-A-T-C is the premier research facility for  _military_  research, and it's military computer systems I'll need to use to break into Global Justice's computer network."

"If you don't want Kim Possible to come and stop you, you'd better hurry."

"That's what I pay  _you_  for, Shego."

"Common sense would tell you to hurry before I have to earn my pay  _and_  an irritation bonus."

_ Possible Residence _

"I have to go, Mom!" Kim insisted. "It's what I do!"

"Honey, think about it," Ann told her. "What about-"

"My condition doesn't change anything, not as far as I'm concerned. Saving the day is what I do, and I want to keep doing it for as long as I can."

"She's right, Ann," James put in, drawing surprised looks from both of the Possible women. "Would you stop being a neurosurgeon if you had a choice? And don't say it isn't the same thing. I may not like that she goes out and risks getting badly hurt or even killed, but she has done a lot of good. She knows she'll stop when she can't do it anymore."

With a sigh, Ann Possible conceded her husband's point. Kim hugged both of her parents, holding her mom longer than her dad, before running outside where the ride Wade had hooked her up with was waiting.

_ Middleton Aerospace Technologies Center _

As usual, right as Drakken found what he was looking for - which Shego could have found within minutes - Team Possible arrived.

"Don't you have anything better to do?" Drakken demanded of Kim Possible. "Homework or something?"

"I do, actually," Kim agreed. "And you're cutting in to my study time."

"Shego!"

"I know, I know," the green-tinted woman said, waving her hand at him. "Get her." Then she ignited her hands and leapt at Kim as the red-haired teen shoved Ron to one side.

And as Kim faced off with her rival, she wondered if her condition would affect this fight.


	5. Chapter 5

**Heart to Heart**

_ Middleton Aerospace Technologies Center _

Shego didn't give her much time to consider the problem as a blast of plasma raced at her. Kim ducked and rolled under the orb of green energy and sprang up into the air, flipping and twisting to land behind Shego but facing her. She had to duck again as the other woman whipped a foot through the space her head had been occupying. She whipped her own leg around, knowing that Shego would leap over it, and rose up as her leg scythed through the space the other woman was just in. Going with the momentum of her spin, she swung her other leg up as she simultaneously brought the other one down to stand on. Shego managed to block the second kick as she fired off one of her own. Rather than blocking it, the red-head deflected it instead; it was less strain that directly blocking, and allowed her to redirect the other woman's momentum. Kim sent a couple of jabs at Shego, forcing the other woman to slip out of the way and send a plasma-wreathed punch back at her.

Ron and Drakken, meanwhile, were busy doing what they usually did while Kim and Shego fought: they tried to hit each other without getting hit.

Because of the few years they'd had going against each other, Kim and Shego had unknowingly established a routine. Their battle was fast-paced, and would usually end with one of them winning (of course). Right as Kim began moving to dodge a kick, though, she lost some of the feeling in her leg, leading her to misstep. It was just a slight stumble, but it allowed Shego's kick to clip her, spinning her around and knocking her into a desk in the room. Both of the villains took advantage of the momentary distraction to escape, while Ron rushed over to Kim.

"KP! You okay?" he asked, helping her stand up.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Ron," she reassured him. "Just stepped wrong, that's all. I'll probably have a bruise from that desk, though."

"Yeah, but that's not a problem," he replied.

"I'll call Wade," she said, pulling out her kimmunicator. She laid out the situation for the boy genius, and added, "Better let Doctor Director know what Drakken's plan might be."

_"I'm on it, Kim,"_  Wade confirmed.  _"You feeling okay?"_

"I've got a bruise from a desk, and I'm a little irritated that Drakken and Shego got away, but other than that I'm fine," she told him; she knew why he was asking, of course. What she didn't mention, to either Wade or Ron, was just  _why_  she'd misstepped. She suspected that it might happen, but had gone out anyway; she would keep doing what she did until she was forced to stop. Closing the kimmunicator, she turned to her best friend.

"C'mon, Ron," she said. "Let's get out of here."

_ Drakken's Lair _

Once again, Drakken was in a good mood at thwarting Kim Possible and getting what he was after. Shego, though, knew that his plan wouldn't be difficult for the teen hero to figure out, which meant that sooner or later they could expect a visit from her. Ignoring his ecstatic ravings about his genius and evilness, she went to her room and locked the door. She decided to take a shower later and threw herself on her bed, replaying the fight over in her head. As she did so, she frowned slightly. Something had been off about her rival throughout their fight, as though she was preoccupied with something else. Shego felt an irrational and confusing sense of jealousy and irritation that something else was more important than her to Kim Possible.  _Wait, what? Where did_ that _thought come from?_  she asked herself.  _It's not like she isn't cute, attractive, highly skilled . . . Hold it, Shego!_  She didn't know  _where_  these strange and uncomfortable thoughts were coming from, but she didn't want them. Peeling out of her cat suit, she pulled on her work out clothes and headed for the lair's gym, determined to exercise them from her head.

_ Middleton High School _

Kim managed to get through cheer practice without a single 'incident,' which wasn't surprising; according to Wade's analyses and the doctors, her condition would come and go with less frequency right now, but that that would change as time went on. It was Friday, a few days after the fight with Shego, and Kim had come to a rather difficult decision. It was difficult for more than one reason, though one of them was Bonnie. She'd gathered the squad together after practice, but before they hit the showers, and told them all that she was dropping from the squad. As she had expected, Bonnie was ecstatic and immediately began gloating and posturing; Kim didn't care. As they headed to the showers, it finally penetrated Bonnie's glee and arrogance that something was wrong with her rival. Surprising herself, she actually  _waited_  for Kim to get out of the showers.

"What's the matter, Bonnie?" the red-head asked. "Didn't get enough gloating done before?"

"I . . . well, I just wanted to see if everything was okay," the brunette replied, stunning them both. She hurriedly went on. "Look, Kim, I know I can be a bitch most of the time, and more than a little self-centered - especially when it comes to you - but I'm not stupid. Something's bothering you; you didn't react at all to my gloating earlier."

"You'll probably find out anyway," Kim said, resigned, "but I've got a . . . a condition that's degrading my nervous system. It's causing me to lose feelings in my arms and legs. It's not bad right now, but it comes and goes. And . . . and there isn't a cure."

"Fuck," Bonnie breathed, stunned. Suddenly, everything she'd put herself and Kim through during the years they'd 'known' each other seemed petty and cruel.

"Yeah," Kim agreed. "I'm going to keep going as best as I can, but I don't want to risk having an 'episode' in the middle of a cheer."

"I wish I could say that this won't change things between us," the other girl replied, "but I'd be lying. Thinking about how I've acted towards you, and what you just told me, makes me feel like such a shit."

"Wouldn't want you to change now, Bonnie," Kim said with a wry grin.

"What better time to start? I don't . . . I don't want to be like my sisters. To be honest," she said, looking down at her feet, "I've been mean and cruel to you because I was jealous. Look at your parents, and your friends. They love and support you, no matter what. So I've acted out of spite, trying to ignore my own situation."

"That's something I never expected to hear from you," the red-head said, more than a little surprised.

"It's something I never expected to say," the brunette admitted. The two looked at each other before chuckling. "Although I still think Ron's a bit of a loser."

"And I still disagree with that."

"Guess some things won't change."

_ Drakken's Lair _

Unsurprisingly, exercising herself nearly to unconsciousness didn't work on getting read of the strange and unsettling thoughts in her head. Shego was sitting on her bed in a pair of green boxer shorts and a black spaghetti-strap camisole, writing in a journal absolutely  _no one_  knew she kept. She was trying to work out her feelings and thoughts, trying to understand why she was feeling and thinking what she was. When she looked back over what she had just written, she surprised and stunned to see that most of it what was she thought about Kim Possible. Quickly slamming the small notebook shut, she practically leaped off the bed to her closet and changed into her trademark green-and-black cat suit; maybe Drakken had something for her to steal for his soon-to-fail scheme.  _And if he tagged along, maybe he'll waste enough time for Kimmie to show up_ , she thought, then realized what she'd just been thinking.

"Aagh!" she growled, storming out of her room.

_ Middleton Advanced Research Center, Robotics Division _

"I could have been in and out of here in five minutes if you hadn't come along, you know," Shego grumbled at Drakken as the evil scientist rummaged through a computer store room in the Robotics Division of the MARC.

"Quiet, Shego, or someone will hear us!" Drakken whispered in irritation, having trouble finding the hard drive components he needed.

"Doctor D . . .  _there's no one else here_ ," she replied. "They closed for the night three hours ago. All we have to worry about now is Kim Possible getting here before we leave. Which, considering your  _impressive_  thieving skills, is a more than likley occurance."

"Why do you  _always_  mock me?" he asked her, right as the room's skylight shattered under the impact of Kim Possible's feet.

"Because you're so easy to mock?" she replied. Drakken opened his mouth, but Shego raised a hand and shut him up.

"Don't say it," she warned, lighting up her hands before flying into a kick. Kim ducked under the kick, though she didn't really have to as Shego was using it just to close the distance with the teen hero. Upon landing, the green-tinted woman slashed another kick at the red-head, who did a backflip to avoid it. Instead of completing the flip, though, Kim sprang off of her hands into the air, landing back in front of Shego and sending a couple of jabs at her. Shego merely leaned out of the way of the punches, and sent a couple of punches back at her opponent. Kim ducked one punch, deflected the other, and kicked at her foe's knee. Doing a backflip of her own, Shego avoided the kick and fired a burst of plasma at Kim.

Just like the last fight, though, she noticed something off about the teen hero. There was a slight hesitation that hadn't been there before, too. Rather than press an attack, Shego stops and relaxes, standing straight. Feeling confused, Kim does the same and asks, "What's going on, Shego?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing, Princess," Shego replies. She looks over at Drakken and Ron, who are staring at the two women, both wearing an identical look of confusion and says, "Why don't you two go somewhere else right now? Princess and I need to have a girl-to-girl chat." The two guys look at each other, back at Shego, then back to each other. "Um, uh," Ron says, "I, um, think Snowman Hank's on right now. Want to go see?"

"Well, I'd rather be making my escape right now," Drakken says. He glances at Shego, pales, and adds, "But I do like watching Snowman Hank."

After the two had left, Shego walks over to a chair and pulls another to her. "Alright, Kim, sit down," she says.

"Kim?" the red-head replies, surprised.

"That  _is_  your name, you know," Shego replied.

"Well, yeah, but usually you call me 'Princess' or 'Cupcake' or something like that."

"I think we both know that right now isn't the time for pet names." Shrugging, Kim sits down in one chair while Shego sits down in the other.

"You want to me what's going on?" the thief asked. "Something's off about you, and it's bothering me."

"Me? What about you?" the hero replied. "You've been off your game for the past week or so."

"I've been depressed, okay?"

"Depressed? Why would you be depressed?" Now Shego looked away, and Kim was shocked to see her blushing - in embarrassment.

"I've been thinking about Drakken's last plan," she replied quietly, not looking at the teen. "The . . . the Bueno Nacho thing."

"Oh," was all Kim could say; she remembered that, too.

"Yeah," she agreed. "I know I'm supposed to be a villain and all, and there shouldn't be anything I wouldn't do, but I do have standards. And, because I've trained as a martial artist, I do have a code of honor . . . of sorts."

"Are you saying you feel bad about what happened to me during all of that?"

"Well, not exactly. Just the whole Erik snytho-drone thing. I mean, I did deserve getting kicked into that tower."

"No, no you didn't," Kim said. "I . . . I kinda gave in to my dark side there. What scares me is that, for a moment, I enjoyed it."

"I know," Shego replied. "That smile of yours has been haunting me for the last two months."

"It's been haunting me, too," she admitted. The two shared a small, vulnerable smile before looking away from each other again.

"Your town now, Kim," the other woman replied. Kim swallowed, feeling strangely nervous around the green-tinted woman. It felt like butterflies were in her stomach, and she got a strange feeling every time she looked at her.

"It's . . . it's not really easy for me to talk about," she began. "It has to deal with the Li'l Diablo thing, too."

"Seems like both of our problems began with Li'l Diablo, doesn't it?"

"Yeah. Anyways, the sitch is . . . when the Erik syntho-drone shocked me to knock me out, it turns out that the shock did a little minor damage to my nervous system - and some damage to the battle suit I was wearing. And . . . well, keeping it on after that - not that I had a choice - cause some more damage to my nervous system."

"What are you saying?" Shego asked, right before her jaw dropped in comprehension.

"It's failing," Kim answered. "My nervous system is starting to give out. It's just little things right now, nothing I can't work past or around. But I quit my cheerleading squad because I didn't want something to happen at the wrong time, and eventually I'm going to have to give up saving the world. There . . . there's no cure. One day I'll be completely paralzyed - and that's a best-case scenario. Worst-case is that the degeneration affects my brain and either leaves me brain-dead - or just dead."

"No," Shego breathed, feeling like a cold, iron fist was clenching around her heart and trying to rip it out of her. "No. I-It can't . . . it can't be true."

"I wish it wasn't, believe me," Kim told her. "But it is. And there's nothing that anyone can do other than alleviate the symptons as they happen."

"No, no, no, no, no," Shego repeated over and over. Kim looked up at her, and was beyond stunned to see tears falling down her cheeks.

"Shego?" she asked, concerned. She hesitantly reached out a hand to comfort her - only to have it knocked away. Her gaze was once again drawn to the woman's face, and she was once again shocked. There was anger there, certainly, but behind it Kim could see a deep, powerful  _pain_.

"Don't," she said, her voice thick and cracking with emotion. "I . . . I can't . . . I'm . . ." She couldn't finish what she was saying, and just rushed past Kim, running as though trying to escape what she'd just learned.

Kim was left standing there, an arm out as though trying to reach after the now-gone woman, saying in a lost and forlorn voice, "Shego?"


	6. Chapter 6

**I Wish You Were Here**

_ Possible Residence _

Kim was alone in her room, her eyes red with shed and unshed tears. She was still in her mission outfit, and had been for the last few hours. She really didn't remember much about what had happened after Shego's abrupt and startling departure, but she guessed that with her gone Drakken had been easily apprehended and put in jail. She couldn't even remember what he had been after; the only thing that occupied her mind right now was the mind-blowing openness between her and Shego - and the way she had looked when Kim told her that one day she was going to become paralyzed. The green-tinted woman had looked as though her whole world, her whole life, had just fallen apart.

She had been surprised when Shego had confessed to feeling guilty about the deception with the Erik syntho-drone; Drakken had been playing on her emotions to keep her from guessing his plan and stopping him, and Shego  _had_  been a part of his plan. She remembered telling Shego, then, that she had hated her, and a new wave of guilt tore through the red-headed teen.  _Was that why she felt guilty?_  she asked herself yet again.  _Because we respected each other even though we were on opposite sides, and then the Li'l Diablo and the Erik things happened, and then I said I hated her. Was she depressed because the one person she felt equal to no longer respected her?_  Shego being gone seemed more of a tragedy to her, right then, than her own not inconsiderable situation. Drakken wasn't the only villain out there wanting to take over the world; but Shego had been the  _only_  person who had pushed her to her limits and forced her to find  _new_  limits. The family motto, which her father would often quote, was: "Anything's possible for a Possible." Kim believed that, and believed that she could do anything; one newspaper in Middleton had even printed that about her in one of their articles, that she was 'the girl who could do anyting.'

_Shego actually_ helped _me to be able to do anything_ , she thought,  _because she always_ pushed _me to out-do her._  And yet again she thought,  _Why am I so upset about her leaving like that? Why am I zoned out about anything else_  but _her?_

_Shego . . ._

_I wish you were here, but I don't know why._

_ Middleton Mall _

Kim had been staring at the table, seeing nothing, stirring her salad around, for the past fifteen minutes. It was the next day, and - being Saturday - Monique had taken Kim to the mall that afternoon. Ron had called her earlier that morning, explaining what had been going with Kim for the past few days (learning about her damaged nervous system, and the fact that there was no cure for the degeneration it was going through),  _then_  had added what had happened on the mission last night. He didn't know what had been said between her and Shego, but when he and Drakken had come back the thief was gone and Kim was standing there in a daze. He'd had Wade bring in Global Justice to take the blue villain into custody, then had taken his best friend back home - where he'd told her parents the same thing he had told her. So Monique had taken it upon herself to cheer up her bff.

"Poking at it isn't gonna make it disappear, girl," Monique told Kim, shaking her out of her daze. She blinked, shaking her head.

"Oh, yeah, right," she agreed, putting a bit of the salad into her mouth, not really tasting it.

"You know, you should've told me about what's been going on with you," the mocha-colored girl admonished gently.

"Yeah, sorry, Monique."

"Hey, girl, it's cool. Got stuff on your mind and all. It's gotta be tough, though. Knowing that one day you won't be able to move at all."

"It is," Kim replied, a little listlessly. "But I've kinda gotten used to that idea."

"Ron clued me in on last night, Kim," Monique told her, actually grabbing Kim's attention for once. "You wanna talk about it?"

"I don't know if I can, Mon," the red-head said. "I'm not sure I understand what's going on myself."

"Whatever it is, it's had  _you_  in a funk  _since_  last night."

"I really can't recall anything that happened after she walked out."

"You mean your green-tinted goddess?" the other girl replied with a sly twinkle in her eye.

"Monique!" Kim said, stunned.

"What? It's cool with me if ya dig girls. Just so long as you ain't diggin' on yours truly here; though I'd be flattered if you did."

"Monique, I'm not gay," she replied. Then she looked uncertain. "Am I?"

"Only you can answer that, gf," was the answer. "But what does it really matter? Are you attracted to  _all_  girls, or just  _one_  in particular?"

"How can I be attracted to Shego?" Kim wanted to know. "She's a broken the law, she's hurt people-"

"She's the only one to push you to achieve harder, she's the only one you know that can keep pace with you,  _and_  she's the one who is causing you to act like this," Monique interrupted to finish for her. "Face it, Kim: you're in love with, or at least attracted to, this Shego girl. It's not really that hard to believe, once you open your eyes to the fact."

Kim sat there staring at her friend, her mouth hanging open. Until someone had pointed it out to her like that, in that way, she had never seen it. She'd never seen that she was . . .  _attracted_  to Shego. And not because of her looks, though the red-head couldn't (and didn't) deny that the older woman was beautiful; but because of everything Monique had just said - and everything she'd been thinking about since the woman had run away last night. Her eyes widened as thought just hit her: what if Shego had run away  _because she lo-liked Kim and couldn't bear the thought of losing her?_  The fact that  _Shego_  had  _stopped_  their fight so they could have a talk should've clued her in; the fact that it meant she had  _cared_  about her should have been obvious from that action.

"O. M. G.," Kim said slowly and in a whisper, though Monique heard her. Then she looked at her friend and saw the quizzical look on her face and everything just poured out of her; from the last thing Ron had seen and heard to when he had walked back in.

"Honestly, could the two of you be even  _more_  dense?" the other girl asked. " _Neither_  of you realized just what was going on between you two this past year or so?"

"It . . . it never occurred to me, Mon," she said. "I mean, she's amazing, talented, skilled, driven-"

"Kim," Monique said with a smile. "You're in love."

"What am I going to do, Monique?"

"Go after her, duh!"

"I meant about my parents and Ron."

"You're parents love you, girl. They'll accept you no matter what."

"And what about Ron?"

"He's been your friend since pre-K. He's gone with you on your missions and never abandoned you; I don't think he's gonna start now."

"I'm . . . in love . . . with an older woman who has been my rival for three years, and who happened to work for one of the world's major villains," Kim said slowly, as though trying to convince herself of the fact.

"What am I going to do?" she asked again, but Monique just grinned.

"Anything," was the nonchalant reply. Kim found herself returning the smile.

_ Possible Residence _

When Kim got home, she was surprised to see both of her parents there; usually one or both of them was working. She found out, though, that her mom had taken a day off and that her dad was actually in-between projects for once. She also learned that Jim and Tim were at a friend's house at the moment - which was a relief for her right now.

"You look like you're doing a lot better now, Kimmie-cub," her dad said, giving her a hug.

"I . . . feel a lot better now," she admitted, a little surprised to find that it was true.

"Can you tell us what was wrong, honey?" her mom asked. "You were in a daze when Ron brought you home, and then you actually cried yourself to sleep late last night."

"It's not about the whole degenerating nervous system thing," she told them. "That's no big now."

"Ron said it might have something to do with Shego?"

"That super-powered woman who works with Drew?" her father asked. Kim nodded. She tried to figure out how to tell them, and decided to just come right out and say it.

"Mom, Dad, I think I'm gay and I know I'm in love with Shego," she said, with the last five words being said fast. Her parents looked at her for a moment.

"Are you certain, Kim?" her mom asked.

"About being homosexual? I honestly don't know," she replied. "And about Shego? I've never been more certain of anything before." Then she went on to tell her parents about the conversation she and Shego had had last night, Shego's uncharacteristic actions - and her reaction. Her parents looked at each other in comprehension; it would certainly explain some things they'd noticed about their daughter over the last three years, and most especially her own uncharacteristic behavior last night. Ann stood and walked over to her daughter to hug her, while James came over and hugged them both.

"You know you won't have an easy life, if this is really who you are," her mom told her.

"Anything's possible for a Possible," Kim replied.

"It's been true for as long as it's been the family motto," her dad agreed.

"What are you going to do now, Kim?"

"I'm going to find Shego. No matter what it takes. I have to know how she really feels about me."


	7. Chapter 7

**The Better Part of Me**

_ Middleton, Bueno Nacho _

After coming out to her parents Saturday, Kim had called Wade up and explained everything to him, then asked him to try and track down where Shego was at - or where she  _wasn't_. She still wasn't certain if she was a lesbian or not, but she  _did_  know that she loved Shego. She was just afraid Shego didn't love  _her_  the same way. But she could only find that out when she found the green-tinted woman, so she would wait until then to worry about it. She didn't expect Wade to have any luck soon, even though she hoped it.

It was now Monday, and Wade still hadn't found Shego, though he  _did_  eliminate a lot of possibilities. So Kim had gone through school wondering and worrying about the missing woman, hoping she was okay. To everyone's surprise,  _especially_  Ron's, Bonnie had sat down for lunch at the same table he and Kim were sitting at. Ron was even more stunned when Bonnie began a (tentative) conversation with Kim. This wasn't how the world he'd been living in was supposed to work. Of course, in that same world, Kim wasn't supposed to be facing a gradual slide into paralysis, either. Monique wasn't as stunned as Ron, but she wasn't surprised by it. She just hoped that the changes in everyone's lives wouldn't fade away if Kim were to somehow get better.

"So what's the deal with you and Bonnie?" Monique asked before taking a sip of her cola. She, Kim, and Ron were sitting in Bueno Nacho; they'd gone there after they had gotten out of school.

"What do you mean?" Kim asked.

"Oh, come on, KP!" Ron interjected. "You two have been enemies for what seems like forever! Then today she comes and not only  _sits_  at  _our_  table, but has a  _nice_  conversation with you!"

"Oh, that," she replied, as though it was nothing. "She started it, if you want to know. She waited around for me after cheer practice, and we had a little heart to heart. I'd quit the squad, which is why she hung around, I guess. I explained what was going on with me, and she told me why she was such a bitch. I guess we came to some kind of understanding."

"It's almost like she's a different person now, gf," Monique said. "What if you get better? Will things change?"

"I don't think so," she told her friends. "If somehow I do get better, I won't be rejoining the squad."

"You don't think you will get better, do you?" Ron said, putting down the naco he was about to eat. Kim shook her head.

"There's no way to cure it. I know about all of the experimental research, and even the handful of procedures that  _might_  lessen the extent of the paralysis. But none of that will help me. Experimental research is  _still_  research, and some of those procedures could possibly cause  _more_  damage. Or even harm something else."

"So you're just giving up? That's not like you, Kim."

"I'm not giving up, Ron. But there's nothing that can be done right now, or in the immediate future."

"Any ideas on how long you got before you're put in a wheelchair - confined to a bed, girl?"

"I went in for an appointment yesterday, and now that the doctors know what to look for it went easier." Kim took a breath, let it out and said, "They say I've got anywhere from a few months to a little over a year before I'll lose all feeling in my legs. It's  _possible_  I could still walk, but without any feeling down there I could break something if I stepped wrong."

"Still no sign of your green girl?" Monique asked.

"Wade hasn't found anything yet, but I've got a feeling it won't be long before he gets something," Kim answered.

"Whoa, wait, hold up," Ron said, drawing both girls' attention. "Kim, you're  _looking_  for Shego?"

"You didn't tell him yet?" the mocha-skinned girl asked.

"Tell me what?" he wanted to now, right as Kim shook her head.

"Ron . . . I think I might . . . be a lesbian," she said, wincing a little has his jaw dropped open like a brakeless elevator. Before he could gather himself together, she laid the other bombshell on him: "And I'm completely sure I love Shego." To her unsurprised surprise, Ron fainted from being so stunned. When he came to, to his credit, he didn't ask Kim to repeat herself, nor did he try to deny what he'd heard. He just looked at for a few moments before asking, "You really love Shego?"

"Believe me,  _I_  didn't know until Monique bluntly pointed everything out to me Saturday," she told him.

"And that's why you have Wade looking for her?"

"Well, that's mostly why," she admitted. "I . . . you remember when she sent you and Drakken out of that lab at the Middleton Advanced Research Center?"

"Yeah. When we came back, she was gone and you were . . . well, you seemed kind of broken."

"I'd told her everything, Ron. What was going on with me, and what I was facing. But before that I made her tell me was she was off on her fighting."

"I couldn't tell that anything was wrong with her fighting."

" _You_  aren't the one who fights her, remember?"

"Oh, yeah. Right. Well, KP, I hope you can find her."

"Really?" Kim blurted out, stunned.

"Well, yeah. I mean, now that I know this, the way you were Friday and Saturday makes a lot of sense now. I guess I just didn't put things together until it was pointed out to me because I couldn't see the pieces like that."

"You're okay with me possibly being homosexual?"

"You're my best friend, Kim. I'll always have your back. I just want you to be happy."

"Thanks, Ron," she told him, hugging him.

_ Possible Residence, one week later _

Kim was up in her room, doing some homework, when her kimmunicator went off with its trademark jingle. It was Thursday, and most of the kids at Middleton High were figuring out what to do with their three-day weekend; Friday was a Teacher's Day, so there was no school. She wanted to get her homework done and out of the way so she could go down to the backyard and do her workout routine. She'd only had a few spells of numbness during the past few days, though one had come at a bad time and could have caused an accident if Bonnie hadn't been walking by and helped her. Bonnie had even invited her to come to mall with her tomorrow, since she really had nothing better to do. She had told him that she wasn't going to invite Ron, but if he came along she'd tolerate it. Kim had been so surprised she'd accepted straight away and had been glad she did; Bonnie's expression at her acceptance was worth more than any riches.

Snatching her kimmunicator off the stand, she set her pencil down and said, "So, Wade, what's the sitch? Monkey Fist trying to steal another mystical artifact? Or is Duff Killigan trying to turn another country into his own private golf course?"

_"I've found her, Kim,"_  Wade replied, making Kim feel like her heart had just stopped.

"What?" she asked softly, nearly too stunned to speak.

_"I've found Shego,"_  he repeated.  _"Or at least I found where she was last seen. I had to look through a lot of reports and airport security footage, but I managed to find her trail. She'd gone to Middleton Airport and taken a passenger flight to South America, then took a plane to South Africa before heading to Europe. From there, it looks as though she went to Nepal and that's where her trail ends."_

"You rock, Wade," Kim told him, smiling.

_"I've got you a ride to Nepal, though you'll need to go to Middleton Airport to meet it."_

"I'm on it."

_"I'll tell Ron to get ready."_

"No, Wade. I'm doing this alone."

_"Kim, what if something should happen?"_

"I'll deal with the sitch, Wade. I . . . I  _need_  to do this alone."

_"Ron needs to know, Kim."_

"I'll tell him, I just . . . I just don't want him coming along."

_"I'll keep a trace on your kimmunicator so don't shut it off."_

"Deal," she said before ending the call. Considering the time of day, both of her parents as well as her brothers were home. When she told them what she'd just learned, and what she was going to do, her parents were understanding but not too willing to let her go around the world alone. The discussion that followed was rather tense, with tempers becoming strained, but in the end Ann and James reluctantly conceded. Kim told them that she was going to take every precaution she could, and that Wade would be monitoring her and alert everyone if there was any trouble. When she told Ron he wasn't too happy about being left behind - and neither was Rufus - but he understood why she had to do this alone.

"Just know that I'll be there as fast as I can if you need me," he had told her.

"I know, and I appreciate it," she had replied, hugging him.

_ Himalayan Mountains _

Kim rode her snowmobile through a beautiful snow-covered landscape. It was a bright and sunny day, with barely any wind. Upon reaching Nepal, Wade had directed her to a place near the base of the Himalayan Mountains. There was a business there called 'Barry's Mountain Expedition Outfitters' that, according to Wade's information, was the last place Shego had been seen. The owner, Barry Younts, had told her that a woman matching Shego's description, but going by the name Shena Go,  _had_  been at his business about a week or so ago. She'd outfitted herself with enough gear for four people on a two-week round-trip expedition, and then just left. Kim asked if he could outfit her the same way. When she tried to pay him, he refused.

"You are Kim Possible, yes?" he had said in Russian-accented English. "You save my cousin from rock slide at mining camp in Mongolia. Person you are looking for means much to you,  _da_? You help my cousin so I help in return."

So now she was a day into her search for Shego, and it wasn't really progressing all that well. Shego had been out here for a week, after all; she could have gone anywhere. And with snow having fallen often in the Himalayas, any tracks she'd made would have disappeared days ago. Even through her thick and layered fur-lined and -trimmed purple parka, she was getting cold. She still had a few hours of daylight left, but she did need to start looking for a place to set up her arctic storm-rated shelter. Her mind was a little too focused on that, so she didn't see the dip in the snow in time to avoid. Her snowmobile went into it at an angle, which is when she found out that it was a snow-filled crevice instead of just a depression in the snow. She clipped it and was thrown off it. She'd been going as fast as her laden machine would allow her, so she was catapulted through the air at a pretty high velocity. She had just enough time to tuck herself into a roll to ease her impact with the snow-covered ground; when she hit, though, she ended up bouncing back into the air, hitting the ground and bouncing again before hitting and sliding until her momentum was spent.

_I'm definitely going to be feeling_ that, Kim thought as she picked herself up. Or tried. She couldn't feel her right leg from the knee down. Moving to a sitting position, she checked herself for any broken bones or sprains but surprisingly didn't find any. Yet she had no feeling in her lower leg. Frowning, she pulled down the mouth guard she was wearing and carefully stood up. She knew she would have to be careful walking back to the snowmobile - wherever it had ended up - until the feeling came back into her leg.  _If it does_ , she thought morosely. She made a careful search back along her track and found the snowmobile not far from where that small hidden crevice was. When she saw the front end of the machine, though, she let out a groan of frustration. One of the guiding skis was bent, and the other was nearly torn off. Most of her supplies were scattered, and - upon searching her parka - she discovered her kimmunicator was missing.  _Now I can't even call for help, though Wade will realize something's wrong when the signal doesn't move or no one hears from me for a while._  After a few minutes of trying to gather her scattered provisions, she let out another frustrated groan; her arctic shelter was under the snowmobile, and judging from the condition of the container, it was a goner.

Kim had gathered up as much as she could and filled up one of the expedition-rated backpacks Barry Younts had given her as full as she could stuff it. Slipping her heated and insulated boots into a pair of snowshoes, she began trudging along - but in the direction she'd originally been heading. Even though it would have made more sense to head back and either get a new snowmobile or throw in the towel, Kim felt committed to her course. As she walked along, the feeling actually began returning to her leg so her pace picked up accordingly. Still, she wasn't making as much time as she had with the snowmobile. And judging from the snow in the air, not only was another snowfall on the way, but a snowstorm might be, too. She really wished she had her kimmunicator now; she could have gotten Wade to pull up a weather satellite's report for the area and found that out within moments.

A couple more hours of walking saw the sky darken noticably and the wind pick up quite a bit. Visibility had dropped to only a few feet, and Kim was struggling with her footing in spite of the snowshoes. She was also shivering more than was healthy, even though she had wrapped herself in extra layers of winter gear before abandoning the damaged snowmobile and shelter. She'd recovered her face completely before she'd started walking, but the cold didn't seem to care about that. She was starting to feel numb all over, and some of it didn't seem to be just from the cold.

Without warning, Kim found herself sprawled out in the snow. She tried picking herself back up, but she got no sensation at all from her legs. She forced herself onto one knee, but that action seemed to sap her strength. Swaying, she barely managed to get back to her feet, and her first step nearly sent her back down into the snow. Focusing on her legs as best as she could, she tried again. Moving into a staggering, drunken pace, Kim felt her attention and focus drifting. Her mind was currently too numb for her to realize the danger she was in, and it was a struggle for her just to stay awake.

Until she once again found herself sprawled out in the snow. Only this time, she was too tired and too numb to really care. She tried to push herself up, managing to get on to her elbows, when she thought she saw something. She wanted to call out, to get the attention of whoever was out there, but she couldn't find the energy and she fell back down, losing consciousness. As her vision faded to black, she though she imagined seeing a big, furry boot in front of her face. She wasn't aware of a pair of big, massive arms reach down, didn't feel herself being picked up, and certainly didn't know that she was being carried deeper into the mountains faster than an Olympic sprinter could run.


	8. Chapter 8

**Getting to Know You**

_ Somewhere deep in the Himalayan Mountains _

Kim was in and out of consciousness for a while. She didn't know where she was, nor was she aware of her surroudings. She had hazy memories of feverish sweating, shivering, and the oddly pleasant sensation of being held. When she finally did regain and stay conscious, her first sight was of a stone ceiling. She frowned a little, confused, as the last thing she remembered clearly was of being in a worsening snowstorm. She tried moving a little and found she wasn't restrained in any way; plus, she was covered in a  _very_  toasty blanket in a  _very_  comfortable bed. When she tried to sit up, though, she let out a groan at the aches and pains she felt.

"You're awake?" said a familiar voice in a surprised - and relieved - tone. Blinking her eyes, Kim turned her head and saw Shego walking towards her.

"Shego?" she croaked in a hoarse voice.

"You shouldn't try to speak right now," she replied softly, kneeling down next to the bed. "Your throat's still pretty sore from what you just recovered from." Kim nodded, and felt her heart skip a beat when the other woman smiled slightly. "Let me get you some water; you shouldn't drink too fast or too much, because that would cause you some problems right now." Again, she nodded and Shego reached over to a stand next to the bed and grabbed a bottle of water with a straw. When Shego held it to her lips, she carefully took a sip as she'd been instructed to. The look she gave her said what she was trying to ask, and the answering nod gave her permission to take another sip.

"You've been pretty sick for the past three days," Shego told her. "I . . . I almost thought that I'd . . . that I'd lost you a couple of days ago." The emotion in her voice brought a lightness to Kim's spirit.

"Where . . ." she tried to ask, her throat still feeling scratchy.

"You're in the Himalayas, in a region where no human has ever been," she answered. "Well, except for me and, now, you. You should rest a bit more now, though you don't have to go back to sleep if you don't need to. I'm . . . afraid I don't have much in the way of entertainment here; it's kinda hard to get cable out here." Kim managed a weak chuckle and a small smile at the quip, bringing a smile to Shego's face. "I'll admit to being beyond curious as to how you managed to find out where I'd gone, but it can wait until you've recovered more. Don't worry," she added, seeing Kim's expression, "you'll be able to get out of that bed today; you just need to get some more strength back. I've got some chicken soup warming up on the stove for when you're hungry."

Kim nodded in appreciation, and Shego stood up and walked out of the room. Now that she was more awake, she was able to take in her surroundings better. The ceiling was, indeed, made of stone; in fact, the whole room was made out of stone now that she looked around. She was in a bedroom, or at least a room that was being used as a bedroom. It had been decorated in green and black, though items like the dresser, closet, and the bedframe were made out of some sort of heavy timber. Carefully this time, she tried sitting up and managed to do so with only a small groan of pain.  _Just where am I?_  she asked herself. It was about then that she realized she was dressed; laying the blankets aside, Kim found herself wearing a green shirt with black trim, and black pants with green trim. She rolled her eyes, though there was a smile on her face.

Slipping into a pair of green and black tartan moccasins, Kim took the thick and warm blanket she'd been laying under and wrapped it around herself before walking out of the bedroom. "Shego?" she called out as she slowly began walking down a hallway.

"Second door on your left, Princess!" Shego called back, and Kim followed her voice and directions. She found herself in small but cozy kitchen, and Shego was at a wood-fired stove stirring a small pot of what Kim took to be the chicken soup. "Didn't expect you to get up so soon, Princess," the green-tinted woman added.

"I got hungry," she replied. "So, um, has . . . has anybody come looking for me?"

"I don't know," Shego told her. "Honestly, I don't. I . . . I haven't left here since I got here. Not that I can't, you know, I just . . ."

"Haven't wanted to?" Kim finished. The older woman nodded in agreement.

"Yeah. So . . . you've probably missed school."

"No big. I'm just glad I found you."

"Why  _were_  you looking for me?" Shego asked as she turned around. She raised an eyebrow at Kim's blushing expression.

"You're gonna laugh," Kim muttered, trying to avoid the question. Shego walked over to her and put her hands on the teen's shoulders.

"I would  _never_  laugh at you if it was serious," she told her. "You must have had a good, strong reason for coming after me - and nearly dying in the process, I might add."

"I . . . Shego, I . . . I love you," she stammered, blushing even worse. She couldn't look her in the eyes, so her gaze drifted downward - until Shego's hand came up, gently cupped her chin, and raised her head back up. Kim was about to ask something when she felt the other woman's lips on her own. Her eyes widened before closing as she relaxed into the kiss. After a timeless moment, she felt Shego pull away and her eyes opened.

"Why," the other woman said, "would you think I'd laugh at that? There isn't much to do out here, so I've had a lot of tme to think."

"I can imagine," Kim agreed. "There's one thing I want to know, first, though."

"What's that, Kimmie?"

"How did I get here? And where is here, anyway?"

"Let me answer the second question first," Shego replied, sitting down at the small table in the kitchen and motioning Kim to do the same. "'Here' is an abandoned monastery. I don't know what kind of monks made this place or what, exactly, they believed in, but I don't think anyone who was evil or malicious would have been allowed to build anything here, much less be allowed to even come here."

"What do you mean?" the red-head asked.

"Well,  _that_  answer ties in to the one that goes to your first question."

"Well?"

"Yeti."

"Say what?"

"The yeti were the ones who brought you here, and they're the ones who won't let those of impure character and spirit come here."

"So yeti are  _real_?"

"Why not?" the green-tinted woman replied. "There's a lot of things in the world that are regarded as nothing but myth and legend that are real. Some things obviously are, but for others? There are just too many accounts that are too descriptive to be dismissed as pure myth."

"Why would yeti rescue me?"

"Again, why not? The yeti aren't stupid; they are, in fact, highly intelligent. They may not understand or comprehend things like mathematics or words or such, but that doesn't make them dumb. They have a culture of sorts, and regard many places in this area as sacred. And, no, they don't have a religion, but they  _can_  sense the purity and sacredness of said places."

"How do you know all of that?" Kim asked.

"Well, this  _was_  a monastery; the monks who once lived here left plenty of records about their lives, and some of the scrolls and clay tablets talked about the yeti. Plus, I have my own first-hand observations." Shego sighed. "I don't know why the yeti showed themselves to me, or led me here and allowed me to stay."

"Maybe because they sensed that, deep down, you are a good person," she told her. "And . . . maybe they also sensed that you needed some solitude."

"Yeah, maybe. I don't speak yeti, so I guess we'll never know for sure," she replied.

"Shego, why were you so upset about what I told you?" Kim asked her. "About my degenerating nervous system?"

"That's . . . kind of a long story, Princess," Shego said.

"I think we've got time, and I also think it isn't as long as you're trying to imply."

"Ever since we first met, when Drakken was first getting into his 'take over the world and get revenge' thing and you stopped him, I've . . . felt a pull to you. And the more we fought, the more I felt that pull - though it wasn't until the last few months that I even noticed the pull. I enjoyed fighting against you; you're the only one who can keep pace with me." Shego stood up, but it was only to pour some soup into a couple of bowels. She set one, with a spoon in it, in front of Kim before setting the other one down and sitting again.

"I had to have that pointed out to me," the teen admitted, blushing a little in embarrassment.

"I never fought against anyone who could their own against me - especially when I used my powers. There's . . . there's something different about the way you fight. It's not just the different styles you use, or the way you throw moves and stances from all of those styles together to make some kind of mixed-martial arts thing; nor is it the fact that you're a cheerleader and you incorporate that into the way you fight. About a year before the . . . before the Li'l Diablo thing, I thought I might have figured it out."

"And what do you think it is?"

"Well, um, I thought - and still think - it's that you enjoy fighting against me. I've seen you fight against Drakken's henchmen, and even the sytho-drones he's been using lately. No matter how many of them go against you, you seem like you could fight them in your sleep."

"They aren't much of a challenge, really," Kim agreed.

"It's not just that; you're way out of their league."

"And in yours?"

"I think so. I've got an edge on you with my powers, and in experience. But you've got speed on me, plus a drive, a determination, to win. And not 'win' as in beating me, but 'win' as in pushing us both past our limits. And if you beat me, you don't seem to take it as confirmation that you're the superior fighter, but more like you won a round."

"Actually, that  _is_  how I see it. Because you've won more often than you've lost."

"Only because I've had a few years' more experience than you. But look at that. I have more experience than you, more training, and you can keep up with me. You keep up with me so well, in fact, that I have to go harder and more all out just to keep an edge over you. It . . . I . . . I began to get the impression that you respected me for me, for my skills, and not just because I was a 'super' villain who was a threat."

"And then the Bueno Nacho thing happened."

"Yeah. I couldn't figure out Drakken's plan at all. It didn't make any sense to me at all. And he pointed out that if I couldn't figure it out,  _you_  couldn't."

"And he nearly won, too."

"Yeah, but you proved to be 'all that,' as he said before we went to jail."

"Shego . . . I'm sorry about kicking you into that tower," Kim told her. "I wasn't at the time, because of how hurt and, well,  _betrayed_  I felt. Drakken toyed with my emotions to keep me distracted, and I thought you had a part in it, that you knew what was going on."

"I honestly didn't know that Erik was a syntho-drone until Drakken sent me to pick him up. And . . . and I felt like I  _had_  betrayed you; or at least betrayed the mutual respect we had for each other. I saw the look on your face when you kicked me into the tower, right before I passed out. That . . . wasn't a look I wanted to see on your face. And then there was what you said  _before_  you kicked me into it."

"I said that I hated you," she whispered.

"Yeah. That declaration just kept bouncing and careening through my head afterwards. I only broke out of prison because Drakken wanted to get out . . . and he was still paying me.  _That's_  the reason I've been depressed, you know. Because I felt that by my association with that whole Li'l Diablo thing, and by what you said, that I had lost the respect I had earned from you. There are few people in my life I actually respect, and fewer still that I like. I don't like my brothers, and I certainly  _don't_  respect Hego and Mego."

"Hego did seem kind of pompous and a little arrogant, and was somewhat self-centered."

"You're being too kind to them, Princess."

"And I think you're being too hard on them. So . . . why did you run away?"

"You're the one person I consider my equal, Kim," Shego told her. "Until the Li'l Diablo thing, I felt that I . . . well, that I really,  _really_ , liked you. I . . . I found myself wondering . . ."

"Wondering what, Shego?"

"Wondering what it would be like to know you . . . outside of the whole hero/villain thing."

"You mean . . . as a friend?"

"Well, I was secretly hoping for something . . . more."

"Shego . . . are you . . . a lesbian?"

"Honestly? I believe I'm more of a bi-sexual, though I lean more towards women than men. What about you?"

Kim smiled and giggled, prompting the green-tinted woman to ask, "What?"

"I  _think_  I might be a lesbian, but . . ."

"But what?"

"But I think I'm actually Shego-sexual."

"Say what?"

"I'm not attracted to guys, really, and though there are some girls I know that I  _do_  find cute and all, I'm not attracted to them in any way. You, on the other hand . . ."

"Okay, okay, I get it," Shego replied irritatedly, though it was obvious she was faking it because of the faint smile she was wearing. "I . . . I ran away because . . . when you told me about your damaged nervous system, and what would one day happen . . . I felt like I'd lost any chance with you. I thought I might have still had a chance, extremely slim though it was, after the Li'l Diablo thing. I just couldn't stand knowing that I was to blame for what was happening to you."

"Shego, you  _weren't_  to blame. It was all Drakken's plot. Even if you'd known from the beginning, would you have told me?"

"I would have," she replied, surprising Kim. "At least, I would have left some clues so you could figure some of it out, which might have let you figure the rest of it out."

"You respected me that much?"

"I  _liked_  you that much, even if I didn't realize just how much I liked you until after it was all over."

"Wow," she said, pleasantly surprised. Then she looked at the other woman with a smile. "You know, after you left, it was Ron who brought Drakken in."

"You're kidding," was the surprised response.

"Not at all. I wasn't in any condition to do anything myself. I don't really remember much of what happened after you left, though I do remember being taken back home. I was . . . I was very upset and depressed the rest of that night, and half of Saturday; it took Monique being blunt and to-the-point that about you and me that snapped me out of it."

"I've never been that close to anyone."

"You can be, you know. It's never too late."

"So you . . . really do love me?" Shego asked, sounding hopeful and looking both fragile and vulnerable in that moment. Kim, thankfully, took a moment to answer, wanting to be honest but kind with her.

"After that kiss . . . I'm more certain of it than ever," she said. "But I want to ease into a . . . a relationship with you. And not because you're a villain-"

"Ex-villain," she interrupted.

"-ex-villain, but because you're older than I am - which isn't a problem to me - and I'm still in high school."

"After you graduate?"

"Absolutely. Though . . . though I don't know if you'll still want to be with me when my nervous system gives out completely."

"If I was that petty, Kim, I wouldn't have been feeling so terrible about everything. If . . . if you'll have me, I'll stay with you for as long as we both live - and even after we both die."

"Thanks, Shego."

"Shena."

"Hm?"

"My . . . name is really Shena. Shena Go."

"You mean . . . it  _wasn't_  an alias you gave to Barry Younts?"

"Oh, you went to his business, too?"

"Well, that  _was_  your last stop before vanishing into these mountains."

"You've got a point, Princess."

"I'm not a princess," Kim told her. "I don't like that frilly stuff."

"So no lingerie?" Shego/Shena asked, bringing a crimson blush to Kim's face.

"Shego! Er, um, Shena!"

"What? And you  _are_  a princess. At least to me. You know, a warrior-princess."

"You mean like from that show about the Amazon warrior woman and her sidekick?"

"So you can't remember what it's called, either?"

"No, not really. So . . . why do you call me 'Cupcake,' too?"

"Because you look sweet enough to eat."

"Stop that," Kim said, blushing even more.

"Why? It's a lot of fun making you blush." The two of them fell silent after that, but it was an easy, comfortable silence. Shena finished her soup, and accepted Kim's bowl. Taking them to a water-filled clay tub, she took a deep breath and let it out.

"Is something wrong, Shena?" the red-head asked.

"We should get you home," the raven-haired woman said.

"You . . . you would be arrested if you came back with me," Kim said, feeling a little alarmed. "I . . . I wouldn't be able to see you again, not for a while. Unless you broke out, or disappeared as soon as we got back to civilization."

"I'm not going to run away or hide again, Kim," Shena told her.

"Global Justice will lock you up!"

"I'll work out a deal with Betty."

"Who's Betty?"

"Doctor Director."

"You mean her first name  _isn't_  'Doctor?'" Kim asked.

"Are you saying you actually thought it  _was_?" Kim's blush was all the answer she needed. Chuckling, she went on. "I do need to make restitution for what I've done. I know a lot about the other villains GJ is after, plus I can help them figure out how to catch others. And I'm plenty rich so I can repay anyone I need to."

"Wait a minute," she interrupted. "You're rich?"

"Well, duh," was the reply. "I don't use all of the money Drakken pays me; most of it goes into stock markets around the world, getting invested and re-invested. So my money is making money."

"Just how rich  _are_  you, if I can ask?"

"Senor Senior, Senior is a career hobo compared to me."

Kim's mouth worked open and closed like a fish trying to breathe out of water before she managed to collect herself. "Really?" she asked.

"Really."

Kim blinked, then smiled.

"Spankin'."


	9. Chapter 9

**How to Save a Life**

_ Abandoned Monastery, Himalayan Mountains _

Though Kim wanted to get back home as soon as she could, to reassure everyone that she was fine, she asked Shego if they could wait until tomorrow to start out. It wasn't hard to guess the reasons behind her request, and they brought a smile to the green-tinted woman's face. Shena got the teen some more soup, and put on a kettle of water.

"I'm afraid all I've got is tea, instant coffee, and some hot chocolate," she said, looking back at Kim.

"Hot chocolate would be fine," Kim told her. "I don't usually drink coffee."

"That's good to know." When she sat back down at the table, the red-head noticed something slightly melancholy about her.

"Is everything okay, Shena? I don't mind drinking coffee."

"Oh, um, it's not that."

"Then what?"

"I was just thinking that having a relationship with me isn't going to be easy for you."

"Nothing worth having is ever easy." That response brought a warm and unguarded smile to the ex-villianess's face.

"I suppose you'll be wanting to know more about me, right?" Shena asked nervously. Kim found that endearing, seeing the confident and slightly abrasive woman looking vulnerable like that.

"I want to know  _all_  about you," she admitted. "But we'll have plenty of time for that."

"You've got to be really curious, though."

"Shena, if you want to tell me about yourself just do it," the teen replied, smiling. "You don't have to try to coerce me into asking you to me about yourself."

"Remember when you met my brothers?"

"Yeah, you said you were evil; managed to convince them pretty well."

"So I'm guessing you didn't really believe that back then."

"Not quite, though it  _was_  pretty convincing."

"Yeah," Shena agreed. "But as we both know, I'm not."

"So why did you become a thief and a villain?"

"I  _knew_  you couldn't resist asking."

"Stop gloating and spill."

"It's not really all that complicated, really. I wasn't exactly the most popular member of Team Go, mostly because of my attitude and rather volatile temper. I tended to be a little . . . excessive with some of the guys we brought down, and I despised the whole 'groupie' thing."

"'Groupie thing?'" Kim asked.

"The hangers-on, the kiss-ups, people like that. Plus, you know, I had issues with Hego and Mego. Mostly with Hego. He had his not so bright head wrapped up in the idea of us being super heroes, and he had his own view on how it should be done. I've always been an independent . . . spirit, I guess you could say. And when I started expressing my bi-sexual tendencies, well, you can just imagine how he took that."

"About as well as you took the news of my injury," Kim suggested. Shena blinked, then smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, about that well. He tried to make me 'decent' and 'normal' instead of accepting me. Of course, the fact that I could kick his drunk, blindfolded, and with both arms tied behind my back meant that he didn't directly do anything. But, too make a  _really_  long story short, I got fed up with him and his self-righteous attitude, I got tired of the looks and behind-my-back snide comments from the 'average and everyday Go City citizens' and hit the road. Which, actually, ended up leading me to you."

"I'm sure we would have crossed paths anyway."

"Yeah, probably, but would things have turned out the way they have?"

"I'd like to think that they would have, but even I know that that's wishful thinking."

The rest of the day was spent in a part of the monastery that Shena had turned into a living room. Only a small part of the monastery had still been habitable after decades of neglect and abandonment, and the green-tinted woman had worked fairly hard at turning the habitable sections into something livable. There was actually a fire going in the living room, which had Kim worried for a moment until Shena pointed out the discrete ventilation ducts cut into the stone ceiling. They sat down near the fire, though it was mostly for Kim's sake since Shena's plasma power gave her a higher internal temperature as well as faster than normal healing. The raven-haired woman had brought their cups of cocoa with her, and after handing Kim hers, allowed the red-haired teen to snuggle against her.

"You're warm," she said, causing both of them to blush.

"Comes with the territory, Princess," she replied.

"What's going to happen when we get back?"

"I'm not going to spin you a fairy tale, Kimmie," Shena told her. "Chances are I'll end up as a guest in a Global Justice cell for a while. At least until I can work something out with Doctor Director."

"Are you okay with . . . well, with me one day becoming paralyzed?"

"No, I'm not okay with it. And I don't think you are, either. Nothing is set in stone, after all. But if it happens, I'll still love you."

"Honest?"

"Until time itself ends." As they shared a kiss, both wished this would never end, even as they knew it couldn't last.

When Shena realized that Kim was asleep, she carefully disentangled herself from the young woman before picking her up and carrying her to the bed she had spent three days near death in. As she stood in the doorway to room, watching the girl sleep, Shena felt as though she had finally found peace.

And she would do anything to keep that peace, and the love Kim Possible gave her.

_ India _

After packing some essential gear and supplies, Kim and Shena made it down the Himalays in record time; the yeti helped with most of that, though they wouldn't go anywhere near human settlements. Surprisingly, neither of the two were recognized as they traveled through Nepal; especially considering the news broadcasts of Kim's disappearance. Shena could tell that those reports were upsetting her, because she was worried about how her parents were doing. They were close to the border with India, so it wasn't hard to rent a vehicle with good mileage and drive across the border - especially since Shena used a little-known back road, earning a disapproving glance from Kim. Fortunately, the city they were closest to had a fairly large airport - and, coincidentally, it was one were Shena kept an aircraft in the airport's private plane section.

"You have your  _own_  plane?" Kim asked in amazement as they were escorted to the hanger it was in.

"I'm unimaginably rich, Princess," Shena reminded her. "I have a few private planes located at different geographical points."

"Spankin'," the teen remarked. When they entered the hanger, her jaw dropped as she saw the aircraft kept in it.

"That is a Bombardier Challenger Three-hundred," Shena told her as she stared at the green with black trim aircraft. "It costs about twenty million US dollars, though mine was about twice as much considering I had it extensively modified. Normally it can carry sixteen passengers, max, though eight is more common, and needed a crew of two. Mine has cockpit automation to allow one pilot to operate it, and I can still fit four other people in it; five if you count the co-pilot's seat."

"What happened to the rest of the space?" Kim asked.

"I turned it into a home, basically," she answered. "It's got a small kitchen/dining area, and a bedroom/den area. It's all compacted, of course, to fit into the space available, though I didn't skimp on the tv. It's also much more fuel-efficient than the 'standard' model, as well as possessing a marginally higher speed." The teen shook her head, amazed at the revelation. When she looked at the woman she loved, she saw her holding a hand out to her.

"Ready to go home?" Shena asked with a smile.

_ Somewhere over the Atlantic, Europe to America _

Shena gently shut the door to the small sleeping/den area, leaving Kim Possible asleep in it. The distance needed to go from India to Heathrow Airport in London made for a long trip, even at the faster-than-normal speed her plane was capable of. The red-head had tried to stay awake to keep her company during the flight, but after the plane reached its cruising altitude she had noticed the teen was sound asleep in the co-pilot's seat. Smiling indulgently - and happily - she had carefully unstrapped her from the chair and carried her to the small bed in the back of the Challenger 300. Now that she was back in the cockpit, and strapped into the pilot's seat, she contemplated the communications panel. Reaching a decision, she punched in a certain frequency.

_"Shego!"_  Wade said, so stunned his drowsiness and irritation at being woken up overcome by who was calling.

"Hey, Nerdlinger," Shena said. "Don't panic, okay?"

_"Did Kim find you? Where is she? Is she okay?"_

"Whoa, there, easy. Let me explain things before you overload your brain with questions," she said. Taking a breath, she went on. "Kim did find me, though she had a wreck with her snowmobile that caused her to lose her phone-"

_"Kimmunicator."_

"-and nearly killed her," she carried on, ignoring the interruption. "She's fine now, though I will admit it was touch and go for a couple of days."

_"And neither of you thought to call before now?"_

"Listen, kid, we're over the Atlantic now, on our way to Middleton Airport. There's no signal where I was at, and no way to communicate. So, in short, she found me, we talked, and now we're coming back. And . . . I need you to put in contact with Global Justice. I . . . have to talk to Doctor Director about something, and I'd prefer to do it  _before_  I get arrested."

_ Middleton Airport _

Based on the call she'd received a small handful of hours ago, Doctor Director was waiting at the private aircraft section of Middleton Airport with a single squad of GJ troopers and one transport van. She could've had a lot more troops there, and might even have two snipers hidden somewhere, but she didn't. Only herself, Will Du, and five soldiers were there. Even though she didn't doubt Shego would turn herself in regardless, Betty Director had no reason not to keep her word.

"Ma'am, are you sure this is a good idea?" Will Du asked. "I could have another squad or two here in thirty minutes."

"One squad or three, it wouldn't matter, Agent Du," Director replied. "If Shego didn't want to come in the extra troops would only delay her by a few minutes. Plus, if she really didn't want to turn herself in, all she would have to do was stay airborne. And don't even think about suggesting bringing in GJ fighters to bring her down;  _she_  might survive a crash, but Kim Possible wouldn't."

"You could have at least brought a plasma cannon or two," the man muttered a little dejectedly.

"Those are still experimental, and require three people to operate. Not an option, especially when she's coming in peacefully." Betty turned her cycloptic gaze to her second in command. "According to our information, Shego may a thief and a villain, but she does have a code of honor. Look at her battles  _against_  Kim Possible, for example. She could've pulled every sort of dirty trick possible to win but didn't. And now she's offering to turn herself in."

"I still don't think you should have made a deal with her."

"It was the only way she would agree to come in without a fight - and  _stay_  in. We keep our word, she'll keep hers. In exhange for everything she knows about Drakken in particular and villains in general, we offer her amnesty for all previous actions as long as she spends no less than three years in prison."

"But a  _minimum_  security prison?"

"She could escape out of a maximum security prison just as easily. This way, she can have visitors. I don't know what's going on between her and Possible, but I'm for it if it gets her to turn around. She  _did_  used to be a good hero once upon a time."

Will held a hand up to his ear, listening to a transmission from the airport's control tower. Betty stopped speaking, waiting for his report.

"Ma'am, the control tower reports that they have a flight incoming. It's data indicates it is a private plane, Challenger Three-hundred, and is requesting landing instructions."

"Give the air traffic controller authorization to allow the plane landing permission. Did he say the aircraft's flight tag?"

"It's S-H-Three-G-Zero, ma'am."

"Not obvious at all," the one-eyed woman said dryly.

A few minutes after the plane had come to a complete stop, a section of the fuselage opened up and down, revealing the integrated stairway. The Global Justice troopers tightened their grips on their weapons, but at a signal from Doctor Director lowered them again. Shego stepped out of the plane first, dressed not in her trademark green-and-black cat suit but a pair of black slacks and a green cashmere sweater. Turning slightly, she held out her hand and helped Kim Possible step out of the plane. Kim was wearing the same thing as Shego, though the colors were reversed. When Kim stepped to the ground, the head of Global Justice expected the two to let go; to her surprise, they began walking together, still holding hands.

_Well, well_ , she thought, though it was benign rather than sneaky or cunning.  _Who would have seen that coming?_

She stepped forward to meet the two women halfway, making sure to have Will and the soldiers stay back.

"Doctor Director," Kim said, surprised. She looked over at Shego, and a knowing - and very sad - look came over her face. "You're here for Shena, aren't you?"

"Yes," the woman said after a momentary hesitation; Shego's real name had been the one thing Global Justice had been able to learn; that, and her life before being a part of Go City's Team Go. "We've come to an agreement on this, so you don't need to worry."

"You talked to her while I was sleeping, didn't you?" Kim accused, looking at Shena, though her words lacked bite.

"Why would I do that?" the other replied innocently. Then she became serious. "It was the only, Princess, I could get the deal I wanted. I know you would've tried to help, and I would have appreciated it, but you would've gotten wired up about it all and then realize towards the end that everything was going to be okay."

"A full day to ourselves and you already think you know me."

"You're not that hard to figure out, Princess."

"So you think."

"As entertaining as this is," Betty interrupted, "there are some things that need to be covered. Kim, let me explain the deal Shego - er, Shena - and I made. She'll have to go to prison, but it will only be for three years in a minimum security installation. And visitations will be allowed. In exchange for that, she will give us all the information she has on Drakken and any and all other villains she knows of, as well as her word that she won't escape until her sentence is up."

"Three years?" the teen said questioningly, looking at both Shena and Betty.

"It could be reduced based on good behavior," Betty replied. She looked at Kim strangely. "Miss Possible, are you alright?"

It was then that Kim realized that she had lost all feeling in her legs; Dr. Director had seen the muscles in the young woman's legs trembling. The teen collapsed and would've hit the tarmac had Shena not moved and caught her. Director turned slightly and shouted, "Agent Du! Get an ambulance out here now!" As he moved to execute the order, Betty turned around and opened her mouth, but Shena beat her to it.

"Kim has a degenerating nervous system," the green-tinted woman said. "I'll save the details for later, but for now let's say that Drakken is indirectly responsible and that she'll one day be unable to move at all."

"Best case scenario," Kim put in.

Kim's parents learned that their daughter was back, but they needed to meet her at the Middleton Medical Center. When the ambulance arrived to take her there, Betty gave Shena permission to ride there with the teen - provided Betty went with her. She gave Will orders for him and his squad to arrive there in the van, but that only Will was allowed to come up and 'escort' the ex-villain. Because of Betty's presence, Shena was actually allowed to come to family-only waiting room; when the doctor in charge asked her what her relation to the teen hero was, the first thing she thought of was blurted right out of her mouth: "I'm her girlfriend." She blushed when she said that, and blushed a bit more when Dr. Director looked at her. When the doctor left, Betty said, "So that's what's going on between you two."

"Yeah," Shena said, a little defensively. The head of Global Justice looked at her for a long moment before breaking out into a smile.

"It's about damn time you two got your acts together," she said, making the other woman's jaw drop. She snickered at her expression. "Well, it  _was_  pretty obvious that there was  _something_  going on between the two of you, and that it has been going on for some time. It's just as obvious, now, to me, that it's pretty serious, too."

"Life-changing serious," Shena agreed. Just then, the Possibles came in and hurried over to the two of them.

"Betty, is she alright?" Ann Possible asked.

"Betty?" the raven-haired woman said in surprise, drawing everyone's gaze. "I thought her first name was 'Doctor?'"

"Shego? What are you doing here?" Kim's mom asked.

"She's the one who brought Kim home," Betty explained.

"You mean . . . she found you?"

"She did," Shena said, nodding. "She . . . well, she almost died finding me, which is why she was gone for so long; I, um, did everything I could to help her get better. She lost her phone, too. She didn't mean to worry you. And I'm sorry. For, you know, everything." To her surprise, Ann hugged her.

"Thank you," the woman said softly. To both her and Shena's surprise, the green-tinted woman returned the hug.

"She means a lot to me, too," Shena said after they ended the hug. "I'll do whatever I can to help. Or I will, once I serve my time."

"Do you know what happened?" James asked, as everyone sat down in the waiting area.

"Betty and I had just explained to her about the deal I'd made with Global Justice when . . . well, when she lost all feeling to her legs. I guess that's what happened," the younger woman replied. Both of the Doctors Possible could tell she was upset. "I shouldn't have just run away like that," she went on. "She wouldn't have had to come after me if I hadn't."

"But if you  _hadn't_ ," Ann told her, "then neither of you would have realized just what you mean to each other." When Shena looked at her, she added, "It still might have happened, but who knows how long it would have took? She was really upset and depressed after you . . . disappeared, you know."

Just then, the doctor came in, stopping all conversation.

"Ann, I wish I had better news for you and your family," he said.

"Is Kim okay, Frank?" she asked.

"For the most part, yes. There's evidence that had suffered from hypothermia recently, but someone who knew what they were doing must have taken care of it. Unfortunately, the hypothermia accelerated the degeneration of her nervous system. She won't be walking with any certainty anymore. I'm sorry. She has said that she has some feeling in her legs, but I don't think it's enough to risk her walking."

The news floored everyone, even Betty Director. She stepped back, activating her earbud to begin talking with headquarters to see what information they had on any doctors appropriate to the situation. James held Ann as she tried to compose herself, and Jim and Tim just sat there, staring at the floor. Shena was just as stunned as everyone else, but the news didn't affect adversely; rather, it started thoughts bouncing around her mind. Then her eyes widened as everything clicked together. She hurried over to Doctor Director.

"Betty," she said, getting the woman's attention. "I've got an idea, but I'll need you to trust me."

"What do you have in mind?" the woman asked suspiciously.

"I need to go back to Drakken's last lair," she replied. "I'll give you the location later, but right now I need you to trust me."

"Alright," she said. "Do what you have to do, but get back here in less than four hours or our bargain is off."

_ Drakken's Lair _

Fortunately for Shena, one of Drakken's hovercraft was nearby - the one from the mission where she had left - and it only took it a few minutes to reach the hospital. Getting to Drakken's lair took about an hour, so she had just under three hours. As she had expected, the only 'people' at the place were the syntho-drones; the henchman had taken off as soon as news of Drakken's capture had reached them. Bursting into the main chamber, she ripped the place apart. Literally. It took her an hour, but she managed to find where Drakken had put the neural network core processor - as well as the data he'd taken from Dr. James Possible's mind. She hurried back to the hovercraft and took off before everything was ready, trying to get back to the hospital before her time was up.

_ Middleton Medical Center _

Shena made it back with just minutes to spare, and she was panting when she made it back to the waiting room. She held out her hand, revealing two computer chips on her palm.

"What are these?" Betty asked as everyone moved over to her. The woman held up her other hand, then closed it until her index finger was still up. When she'd caught enough of her breath, she looked up.

"One is the data on that cybertronic technology he created," she said, pointing to James Possible. "The other . . . the other is the neural network core processor Drakken had me steal several days ago."

And right then, it dawned on everybody just what she had brought them.

The scientist who created the chip was brought in by a Global Justice VTOL jet, and met up with the Doctors Possible. The idea was explained to him, and he readily agreed to help. James would have to assist since his cybertronic technology would be essential; Ann wanted to help, so Shena offered to watch the twins in order for her to do so. She gratefully gave the woman a hug, and hurried off to get ready. Betty was impressed with the woman, and in more ways than one. It was obvious to her that Shego (Shena!) really cared about Kim Possible, and would do anything for her.

_ Middleton Medical Center, five hours later _

Shena had actually fallen asleep in her seat when the Doctors Possible walked in to the waiting room. They were very surprised - and rather pleased - to see that Jim and Tim had fallen asleep, too; one in the chair next to the green-tinted woman, the other on her lap. Ann walked over and gently shook the woman's shoulder, so as to not wake up her sons. Shena blinked her eyes open and yawned. Then she saw Ann and would've leapt up had it not been for the hand on her shoulder and the boy in her lap.

"How is . . . did everything . . . is she . . ." she tried to say, unable to complete a thought. But Kim's mom knew what she was trying to say. She smiled at her.

"It worked," she said, tears coming to her eyes and falling down her cheeks. "My baby's going to be alright now."

Shena couldn't hold it in anymore; she started crying, too.


	10. Chapter 10

**A New Start**

_ Middleton High School, 2 years later _

Kim looked around at the rest of her graduating class and shook her head in amazement. She didn't doubt that she'd get to this point, but it was who she got to it with that surprised her. The students were seated alphabetically, of course, but she was able to see Ron (who was still stunned that he'd managed to graduate on, mostly, his own merits), Monique (who somehow managed to make the whole graduation ensemble look like a Club Banana ad), and Bonnie. Kim had never thought that one day she and Bonnie would not only be getting along with each other, but would be good friends. It was a little hard to believe that Bonnie's change of heart was genuine - and permanent. What was even more surprising was the look the other girl was giving Ron. Kim smiled at the thought that her best friend since pre-K and her newest friend might actually be liking on each other.

Looking back towards the front, where Coach Barkin was now giving a speech that already had people groaning, Kim thought over the last two years. She'd been unconscious during the procedure that had saved her from a future of full paralysis, but had heard everything from, it seemed, everyone. Shena had risked everything to get Kim what was needed to repair the damage, and hadn't asked for anything in return. In hindsight it was rather obvious that that chip could fix her - since that  _was_  what is made for. The fact that, two years later, she was still walking and moving around proved that the chip was a real success; for the first year, she had been going back to the hospital one each week to go through a bunch of tests for the chip to be examined. The following year it had been twice a month, then once a month. She was grateful for what had been done for her, and was planning on capitalizing upon her experiences to bring more awareness to paralysis victims. She knew just how lucky she was, and that no one else in the world had a super-powered girlfriend who would do anything to help them. She didn't know, exactly, what she was going to go to college for, but she was thinking about something along the lines of recreation or pediatrics; the first to help organize and/or run events for disabled children, the second to work  _with_  children, period.

In spite of missing a few days of school - most of those because of her having been recovering from nearly freezing to death, and then recovering from a procedure that repaired her nervous system - Kim had been elected valedictorian for her graduating class. She did have a speech written, but decided to only use it for reference; she had something else she wanted to say.

The valediction had been scheduled to be done after the end of the ceremonies, but before the graduates tossed their caps to signify the ending of their high school period. Kim walked up to the podium and set her speech down. Looking around at all of the people gathered there - her fellow students and the families and friends of the graduates - she took a moment to gather her thoughts.

"This is one of the most important days in a person's life," she began. "Graduation. It's the ending of one chapter in our life, and the start of another. That we have gotten to this point says something about each of us. That we did our best, worked hard, and enjoyed ourselves. Many things can happen in a person's life, and many things can change. I'm sure everyone here knows just how Bonnie Rockwaller and I were." She paused as chuckles swept through her fellow graduates. "Well, now she and I are good friends. I have been called 'the girl who can do anything' by the media, but I think everyone can do anything if they put their mind to it. A little over two years ago, I learned that my nervous system was failing, and that one day I wouldn't be able to move at all. That news had depressed me, and really impacted my life. I kind of gave up on trying to beat it, and just seemed to accept it. I decided to do what I could while I could, but I  _had_  given up." She paused a moment to sip some water that had been set at the podium before she walked up. "But I had good friends and a loving family that wouldn't give up on me. It wasn't until someone who is now one of the most important people in my life went missing that I came out of my depression. I didn't let my condition stop me from going after her to find her. Everyone knows by now that I am a lesbian, and I'm not ashamed of it. It's who I am. It's important  _not_  to be who others think you should be, but to be who you  _truly_  are. And if you're willing to do anything for those you care about, they will be willing to do anything for you. As we look back upon the paths we took to get here, today, and we look at ahead at the many paths before us, we should remember that  _all_  of us can do anything if we just put our minds and hearts into it." Kim looked out over the audience and nearly let her jaw drop as she saw a familiar black-haired, green-tinted figure slip into the empty chair beside her mom. The smile that blossomed on her face was mirrored on the face of Sheena Go.

"There will be trials in the days and months and years ahead," she went on, her attention now focused on her girlfriend. "We'll make mistakes, bad calls, and have some bad luck. But mixed in with all of that will be successes, triumphs, and joys. More so than the bad. Mistakes are how we learn, after all. If you do everything right all of the time, what do you learn? Each day brings something new with it, a new future. There is always a light in the darkness, because each of  _us_  is that light. One day, we'll be parents, teachers, doctors, athletes, or even chefs. We'll be setting an example for others to one day follow. So let's be the best examples we can be, and make tomorrow brighter than today."

After the tossing (and retrieving) of the caps, Kim met up with her family and girlfriend. She waved at Bonnie who was with her parents, talked with Ron and his parents for a moment, before reaching them.

"That was a wonderful speech, dear," Ann said, hugging her daughter.

"Not quite the one you wrote, but I agree with your mother," James said, hugging her as well. Kim had barely turned to Shena when the older woman hugged her close.

"I wish I could have heard more of it," she said, "but I didn't want to come here straight from work."

"You got here when you did," Kim replied, hugging her girlfriend fiercely. "That's what counts." The two stood back and smiled lovingly at each other.

"Your parents want to take everyone for a graduation dinner, but I talked them into a lunch kind of thing."

"Oh? And why is that?"

"Because I want to take you and your cute little ass out on a date."

"Shena," Ann said, referring to the woman's language, but she just shrugged.

"Are you . . . are you asking me out?" Kim asked, surprised.

"Well, duh, Princess," Shena replied, though her smile was nervous. "What do you say?"

"Pick me up at six. I'll be the red-head in the green dress and black heels."


End file.
